Essequibo man pleads guilty to firearm, ammo charges; remanded to prison

Aubrey Ama Haynes, a 37-year-old resident of Hamper Bay, Essequibo River, pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm and ammunition without a licence, when he appeared before Magistrate Teriq Mohammed at the Bartica Magistrate’s Court on Friday.
Haynes was remanded to prison and the case was adjourned to February 25. He was charged under Section 16(2)(a) of the Firearms Act, Chapter 16.05.
Haynes’ guilty plea comes after a series of events that unfolded earlier in January.
On January 20, police in Regional Division #7 (Cuyuni- Mazaruni), acting on information about a firearm being discharged in the vicinity of Makouria Creek, proceeded to confront Haynes.
When questioned, Haynes admitted to discharging the weapon and being in possession of the firearm.

A search of his person led to the discovery of a .32 semi-automatic pistol with six live matching rounds of ammunition, which was concealed in his crotch area.
Haynes explained that the firearm belonged to his uncle, 73-year-old Royston Massiah, a farmer from Hamper Bay, but admitted that he did not have a licence for it.
Following his arrest, Haynes was taken to the Bartica Police Station along with the firearm and ammunition, which were marked, placed in an evidence box, and sealed in his presence.
In a video-recorded interview, Haynes confirmed that the firearm belonged to his uncle and disclosed that he had accidentally discharged it at the home of Francine Straughn, a 36-year-old housewife from Makouria Creek.
Further investigation into the firearm’s ownership revealed that Royston Massiah, the alleged owner, had reported the firearm missing.
When contacted by police, Massiah claimed that Haynes had stolen the weapon from him.
On January 21, Massiah provided police with details of the firearm’s legal ownership and stated that he had stored the weapon in a locked metal case at his residence in Hamper Bay.
Massiah disclosed that both the .32 semi-automatic pistol and a .270 Walter PKK rifle had been licensed in 2021 but were not renewed due to financial constraints.
The firearms were kept in a metal case secured with a padlock, with one key hanging in Massiah’s room, and the other on a key ring with his house keys. When Massiah was contacted by police, he discovered the padlock had been opened and both firearms and ammunition were missing.
On further investigation, police found that Haynes had hidden the firearm based on instructions from Massiah.
Haynes led officers to a location where additional firearms and ammunition were recovered.
A search at Massiah’s residence on January 21, led to the discovery of a .270 Walter PKK rifle hidden in a white salt bag under a wooden bed frame, along with seven live .270 rounds of ammunition in the upper flat of the house.
Haynes claimed that Massiah had allowed him to use the rifle to hunt.
Both the seized firearm and ammunition were transported to the Bartica Police Station, where they were logged as evidence.
While Haynes was arrested, police revealed that Massiah’s involvement is still under investigation, particularly regarding his role in the theft of the firearm and his failure to initially report the missing rifle.