Shomans relieved of ammo charges

From the Supreme Court to the Magistrates’ Court; on May sixth, police shored up by the Canine Unit descended on the Northern Highway home of well-known businessman, Jose Shoman, and his wife, Malachi, in a full-scale operation. But after a raid lasting more than five hours, the only charges cops could drum up against the couple were for keeping a twelve gauge shotgun without a license and possession of ammunition above the specified amount. Today, just over two months later, the Shomans have walked away freed of charges after Magistrate Margaret McKenzie upheld a no case submission from their attorney, Edwin Flowers. Flowers argued that the gun, which is said to be a family possession dating back more than forty years, was licensed and that the licensing clerk had made a mistake by only putting a part of the serial number of the gun on the license. The arresting officer, Inspector Daniel Arzu, testified that the police found one hundred and ninety-one cartridges and one hundred and twenty-eight rounds of point thirty-eight calibre ammunition when they searched the Shoman’s residence at mile two. But to their embarrassment, the ammunition was not tendered as exhibit because twenty-eight rounds of point thirty-eight ammunition and five cartridges were missing. In any case, because the Shomans have two shotguns, the amount of cartridges was not above the specified amount since one hundred cartridges are allowed for each gun.