Former cop nabbed with illegal guns, ammo remanded

A former Policeman has been remanded to prison after being arraigned before Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman in that Georgetown magistrate’s court on charges of unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.
Before the magistrate on Wednesday, John Moore, 23, of East La Penitence Georgetown, denied the charges; the first of which detailed that, on December 30, 2023, Moore had in his possession a Glock 40 handgun and an AR-15 rifle when he was not the holder of a firearm licence.
The second charge detailed that Moore had in his possession one .233 spent shell and 19 live rounds of .233 ammunition when he was not the holder of a valid firearm licence.
Moore’s attorney informed the court that the firearms and ammo were not discovered on her client, but in another yard — in a bag containing the identification card of an individual who has not been charged. Further, she contended that Moore had been repeatedly abused by cops while he was detained.
The defence lawyer gave the presiding magistrate the assurance that, should bail be granted, her client would appear in court on scheduled dates, and he poses no flight risk.

Fled
However, the Police prosecutor opposed bail being granted the defendant by pointing out that Moore had fled when Police ranks were trying to apprehend him. The prosecutor also informed the court that, while being questioned by the Police, Moore had acknowledged that he did in fact own the firearms and ammunition. Moreover, he said the prosecution possesses video evidence of Moore making this acknowledgement.
Based on the prosecution’s submissions, the court denied Moore bail, and he has been remanded to prison until his next scheduled hearing on January 24.

Arrest
The Police have said that at around 10:15h on the day in question, ranks were on anti-crime patrol duty along Freeman Street in East La Penitence, Georgetown when they observed the ex-Police Constable carrying an AR rifle in his right hand and a haversack on his back.
Upon seeing the ranks, Moore ran into his yard, where he placed the rifle into the haversack and threw it into the premises owned by a 59-year-old security guard.
The Police, however, gave chase, and he was apprehended. Further, the bag was retrieved, and when searched, contained an AR rifle with a magazine containing 19 live rounds of .223 ammunition and one .223 spent shell. In addition, the ranks found one Glock 9mm pistol with an empty magazine, and a .32 magazine without ammunition.
“The haversack also had Visa and bank cards from Republic Bank, GBTI, Demerara Bank, and Citizen’s Bank, and one National Identification Card all in favour of Moore’s reputed wife, Mellissa Lindo, a 21-year-old businesswoman operating a boutique at their home address in East La Penitence,” the Police have said in a release to the media.
The Police also said the haversack had one National Identification Card in favour of Lindo’s mother, as well as a Republic Bank Visa card in favour of her brother. US$65, one motor car sensor, one yellow metal chain, and one cell phone were also found in the bag.
Upon discovery of the guns and ammunition, Moore was questioned about having a licence to carry the firearms, but he responded in the negative. The firearms, ammunition, and magazines found have been taken to the ballistics section of the GPF for examination.
Moore’s spouse has also been arrested. (G1)