Thirty-six-year-old gold miner Wayne Barker was yesterday granted $200,000 bail on firearm and ammunition charges after his attorney argued that continued detention, with no certainty about disclosure or a trial date, amounted to punishment before trial.
Barker, of Lot 58 Lane Avenue, Georgetown, appeared before Magistrate Shareefah Parks at the Fort Wellington Magistrate’s Court, West Coast Berbice, where attorney Bernard DaSilva renewed his application for bail despite continued objections from the prosecution.
According to DaSilva, the prosecution was not in possession of its file, and there was no certainty as to when disclosure would be provided or a trial could begin. He argued that Barker faced the prospect of a protracted delay, making his continued incarceration unfair.
The magistrate granted bail with the condition that Barker report to the Ruimveldt Police Station every Friday until the hearing and determination of his trial. The matter was adjourned to November 18, 2026, for a report.
Barker had previously been remanded after pleading not guilty to charges of possessing an unlicensed firearm and five rounds of ammunition at the Weldaad Magistrate’s Court.
The charges arose from a police operation conducted at about 10:50 p.m. on October 14 in front of the Fort Wellington Police Station. Police stopped a white Toyota Axio, registration number HD 6296, in which Barker was travelling as a passenger.
Police alleged that searches of the vehicle and its driver revealed nothing illegal, but that Barker was found with a Zoraki .380 pistol and five matching rounds of ammunition concealed in his trousers. Police further alleged that he indicated he did not have a valid firearm licence.
DaSilva disputed that account during Barker’s initial appearance, maintaining that the weapon was discovered beneath a mat in the rear of the vehicle, rather than on his client.
The attorney told the court that Barker had been travelling in a hired vehicle from Rosignol, West Bank Berbice, towards Georgetown with two other people. According to his account, one passenger exited at Bath Settlement after receiving a telephone call, while Barker remained seated in the back.
DaSilva also argued that Barker had made no admission of ownership and that investigators had not taken fingerprints from the weapon.
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