A taxi driver, accused of having an unlicensed gun and ammunition, yesterday told a city court that the articles were left behind his car by passengers who may have been planning on robbing him.
Julius Chapman, 34, of 432 ‘A’ Field Sophia, was charged with the illegal possession of a .38 revolver and .38 ammunition after the articles were found in a rear door pocket of his car. The gun and ammunition were discovered in the vehicle after Chapman was stopped by the police and taken to the Ruimveldt Police Station.
According to Chapman, on September 19, he was stopped by three men, who asked him to take them to a location in Georgetown. He stated that one of the men was fetching a suitcase and he assumed they had travelled from overseas.
Chapman told the court that as he was on his way to Alberttown, he was signalled by police, who directed him to pull over. When he did so, the three men in the backseat quickly exited the vehicle and made their escape.
But according to the police report, which was presented by Prosecutor Deniro Jones, police on patrol duty saw three men in a vehicle behaving suspiciously. As they approached the car, he said two of the men jumped out of the vehicle and escaped into nearby bushes. Chapman, who remained in the car, was then taken to the Ruimveldt Police Station, where his vehicle was searched and the gun and ammunition were recovered in the pocket of the door, he added.
Chapman told the court that he had never handled a gun in his life and was thankful the police stopped him or he may have ended up being a robbery victim. The defendant said also that the police had made no attempts to pursue the men after they escaped from the vehicle.
Chapman was subsequently released on $100,000 bail by Magistrate Ann McLennan and the matter was transferred to Court 5, where it will be heard on October 12.
