A Grand Court jury returned a not guilty verdict in the case against Mitchell Vance Hurlston, who was accused of possessing a police-grade bulletproof vest.
Hurlston was arrested and charged in connection with a Point Blank bulletproof vest on 1 July 2022, after officers recovered the body armour from the attic of his West Bay home.
When opening the case the against Hurlston, prosecutor Orrett Brown told the jury that police were at the home to execute a search for firearms.
According to Detective Constable Jonathan Parchment, Hurlston initially told officers that he found the vest while working at the George Town landfill as a supervisor several years ago, and decided to keep it.
However, there was an issue concerning whether Hurlston had been properly cautioned before answering police questions, with different officers during the trial providing different accounts.
And, in a recorded police interview, which was played for the jury, Hurlston told a different story than finding the vest at the landfill, instead claiming it was brought to his home by a family member, who is said to have corroborated Hurlston’s account, but was never charged in relation to the matter.
The trial, which was slated to last for a week, came to an early end on Thursday, 23 March, following a unanimous not guilty verdict for Hurlston.
Related Videos
