A St James man who was allegedly found with a firearm and several rounds of ammunition at his house was granted bail in the sum of $800,000 when he appeared in the St James Parish Court on Wednesday.

Akeem Haughton, 25, of Orange district, St James, is charged with possession of a prohibited weapon, unauthorised possession of ammunition, and dealing in prohibited weapons.

According to the prosecution, on August 8 a search warrant was executed at a house in Orange district.

The house reportedly had several occupants and Haughton was asked which section he occupied. He pointed to a room that was searched, in his presence, where a single 9 mm round was reportedly found at the base of a couch next to his bed.

When the discovery was made, he allegedly said, “Officer, a long time di couch deh yah; yuh no see seh it want to throw out.”

The round was secured as an exhibit, and the search continued.

A black speaker box with missing screws and a screwdriver on top was also discovered in the room. When the investigating officer shook it, he heard something rattle inside. After removing two screws from the back of the speaker box the officer discovered a black Glock 17 pistol with a magazine and 17 rounds of ammunition inside.

When the discovery was made, Haughton was asked if he was the holder of a licensed firearm and he said no.

He also reportedly told the police, “Mi nuh know how dis reach yah so.”

A black and white handkerchief was also discovered with a bulge in it which, when examined, revealed seven 9mm rounds of ammunition.

When cautioned, Haughton reportedly said, “Just give me a chance mi boss; mi naah kill nobody. A bare tings a gwaan round yah”.

During Haughton’s bail application of Wednesday his lawyer, Adrian Dayes, told the court that his client has no prior criminal record or charges against him.

Dayes also pointed to the statement from the prosecution that there were other individuals living at the property.

“We agree with the Crown that the premises were occupied by five adults. There are other persons who come and go,” Dayes said.

He further argued that a deceased uncle of his client is the owner of the speaker box and couch in question, and that since his death, both the defendant and several others used the room in question.

The attorney also pointed out that his client began living there a year after his uncle died.

He emphasised that Haughton does not have exclusive ownership or control of the room, and that the speaker box was used in a shop for an extended period of time. According to the attorney, someone unrelated to Haughton has claimed partial ownership of the speaker box.

In terms of the firearm and ammunition, Dayes stated that his client was unaware of the presence of the firearm in the speaker box or the ammunition allegedly discovered in the couch.

The lawyer then shifted his focus to the moment when the screwdriver was found on top of the speaker box.

“We find it interesting that the screwdriver was found on top of the speaker box, that the same speaker box would have 17 rounds of ammunition and, somehow, this one round is kept outside the speaker box in the couch,” added Dayes.

He also made mention of the two missing screws that were not found. Based on these factors, Dayes asked that his client be granted bail.

After hearing the lawyer’s arguments, the clerk of the court indicated that the prosecution had no objections to granting bail. However, she requested that certain conditions be imposed to ensure Haughton’s attendance at court and to prevent him from travelling abroad.

She also disclosed that the ballistic certificate, the chain of custody statement, and a corroborating officer’s statement were still outstanding.

Presiding Judge Gary Reid subsequently granted Haughton bail with up to two sureties.

As a condition of his bail, he was instructed to report at a specific police station on specific days. He was also asked to surrender his travel documents and told that a stop order would be placed on him at all ports.

The matter was subsequently transferred to the Regional Gun Court (Western) for mention on September 16.