A Grand Court jury unanimously on Tuesday found Javier Davis Howell guilty of three counts of possession of an illegal firearm and a single count of dangerous driving after hearing evidence that a gun and bullets were found in his car after he crashed into a light pole.
Howell, 33, had admitted the car was his, but denied that he had been driving it when it collided with the pole on South Church Street on 23 April last year or that he owned the Smith & Wesson pistol, loaded magazine and other bullets that had been found inside his backpack in the vehicle.
The jury of four men and three women took less than three hours to return their guilty verdicts.
Howell’s DNA had been found on the gun and on the airbag that had deployed in the crash, the jurors had heard.
Police officers had given evidence that on the morning of 23 April, they had attempted to flag down a black Toyota Vitz at a police road block on South Sound Road in George Town, but the driver did not stop and sped off towards George Town. The vehicle slammed into a pole, and the driver fled, leaving behind his wallet in the glove compartment and the weapon, bullets and a quantity of ganja in a black backpack.
The wallet contained items that identified Howell as the owner, including a driving licence and a debit card, as well as photos of his wife and 1-year-old son.
Later that day, Howell surrendered himself to police at the George Town Police Station.
On Monday, he had told the jury that his car had been taken from the construction site on South Sound Road where he had been working as an electrician, while he was taking a nap on a pile of bricks and plywood.
After the jurors returned their verdict, Howell pleaded guilty to six other charges. These included possession of 14.17 grams of ganja; refusing to give a urine sample; driving without insurance, a certificate of roadworthiness or a valid driver’s licence; and driving with an expired registration.
Justice Cheryll Richards set a date of 24 April to receive social inquiry reports on Howell before deciding on a sentence.
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