Firearms case fixed for January trial

(CNS): Despite being in custody at HMP Northward, two men will have to wait until next year to face trial for possession of an unlicensed semi-automatic firearm because of the backlog of Grand Court trials. Roger Moore (27) and Osbourne Douglas (25) were arrested by police in May when officers reportedly recovered the gun from a car the men were in after it was stopped in George Town. Douglas and Moore both pleaded not guilty to the charges on Friday, which the court heard hangs on DNA evidence, and were remanded in custody until the five day trial on 28 January 2013.

The crown claims that the car driven by Douglas was stopped by the police and the men got out of the car. The weapon fell from the pants leg of Moore.

Douglas then tried to grab the weapon and struggled with the police officer, who was eventually able to retrieve the gun. The George Town man had originally pleaded guilty to obstruction following the arrest and was given a sentence of sixty days. He was later re-arrested and charged with possession of the automatic handgun after police found what they say is Douglas’s DNA on the gun.