City man denied bail for prohibited material

With the level of violence at a record high, tough legislation in place has sent a Belize City man behind bars tonight after he was denied bail for Keeping a Prohibited Material. Attorney Ellis Arnold submitted in the Magistrate Court today that the charge against his client, Gilbert Franklin, must be dismissed because this particular charge does not disclose the offence and that in fact there is no such offence. On Sunday, Franklin, a thirty-four year old contractor of Coral Grove, was found with an extended magazine for his licensed nine millimetre pistol and due to the Amendment to the Firearms Act; he was in violation of the law. Magistrate Aretha Ford could not offer bail because of the nature of the offence, and Franklin was remanded until October ninth when he is scheduled to reappear in Court.