Gun thrown from car smash

Cayman courthouse

(CNS): A loaded semi-automatic pistol was thrown from a car carrying two West Bay men when the vehicle collided with a light pole following a police chase, the crown revealed in court Thursday. Austin Jackson (22) and Jordan Manderson (21) stand accused of the unlawful possession of the weapon more than two years after they were both arrested but have denied the charges. As prosecuting attorney Greg Walcolm opened the case against them, he explained the events that led up to the discovery of the unlicensed gun.

The two men were both in a grey Skyliner that was involved in a crash on the Easterly Tibbetts Highway on the afternoon of 16 August 2013, but they left the scene before the police arrived. Sometime later, they were spotted in the Savannah area and officers began a car chase.

Walcolm said that in the meantime, the two men had picked up a female passenger, and when the car crashed again near Countryside Village as they tried to evade the police officers, it was the passenger who threw the weapon from the window.

According to the prosecution, she then got out of the car, picked up the weapon that had been in the possession of the two men and disposed of it behind Foster’s Supermarket.

The crown’s case against the two West Bay men depends heavily on the evidence of the woman, who claims she threw the gun from the car because she wanted nothing to do with it. The crown witness was shown on CCTV, which was played in court Thursday, running through the shopping centre with something under her shirt before disposing of the item behind the supermarket.

The woman, who is expected to take the stand next week, has already pleaded guilty to possession of an unlicensed firearm. The case against Manderson and Jackson continues Friday before visiting Grand Court judge, Justice Michael Mettyear, who is hearing the case without a jury.