Man on gun charges found not guilty, 2 others convicted

- File photo

A 44-year-old man from Princes Town man has been found not guilty charged with the possession of guns and ammunition after a judge-alone trial in the Port of Spain High Court.

On July 14, Andrew Meade, 44, of Hope Road, was freed by Justice Sherene Murray-Bailey nearly three years after he was held in Chaguanas with three others.

However, two co-accused, Brent Harracksingh and Akeem “Ackim” Layne, were found guilty. A fourth man charged alongside them, Darryl McCarthy, died before the trial began.

The police held the four on September 13, 2022, at Lalla Street in Chaguanas, near the courthouse.

The state contended that the officers received information and intercepted a blue Toyota Corolla parked along the roadway with four occupants.

Meade was in the driver’s seat, McCarthy was seated in the front passenger seat, while Harracksingh and Layne were in the back. The police searched the car and found a Glock 17 pistol and 30 rounds of ammunition in the centre of the back seat, between where Harracksingh and Layne were seated.

A second gun, along with 17 rounds of ammunition, was found near the gear shift lever and handbrake.

All four men were arrested and PC Baptiste laid the charges.

The trial began on June 16, with the prosecution calling three police constables as witnesses.

Meade maintained that he was unaware of any guns and ammunition in the car.

Attorney Taradath Singh represented him.

Meade contended that he had been hired by the now-deceased McCarthy to drive him and two others to Chaguanas and claimed he did not know Harracksingh or Layne before that day.

Meade told the court he was waiting in the car when the police arrived and ordered him out. He was searched, but officers found nothing illegal in his possession.

He denied knowledge of the guns and ammunition allegedly found in the car and insisted the items were not his and had not been placed there by him.

In delivering her ruling, Justice Murray-Bailey found that the evidence against Meade was insufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he had knowledge or control of the weapons.

The judge described Harracksingh’s testimony as “vague, evasive, and seemingly implausible,” and said it lacked credibility and reliability.

She also found that key parts of Layne’s testimony “raised more questions than it answered” and rejected his claim that police planted the guns in the vehicle.

Harracksingh and Layne were remanded in custody for sentencing in September.

They were represented by attorney Siddiq Manzano, instructed by Andiesa Weste.

The state was represented by attorneys Maria Lyons-Edwards and Samantha Marajh.