Police say gun and ammunition were recovered from the lap of accused’s blind mother

Police say the gun and ammunition for which Peter Ricardo Mayers is charged were found in his mother’s lap, in a sock hat, inside a drawstring bag.

Inspector of Police Vernon Farrell who executed a search warrant at Mayers’ residence at My Lord’s Hill, St Michael on April 20, 2019 said the woman who was blind and had one foot amputated had been put in a wheelchair before the illegal weapon was discovered on her person.

The police officer was giving evidence today before Madam Justice Laurie-Ann Smith-Bovell and a nine-member jury in No. 4 Supreme Court.

Mayers is accused of having a Smith and Wesson 9 mm luger calibre semi-automatic pistol and ten rounds of ammunition that April 20.

In response to State Counsel Romario Straker, Inspector Farrell told the court that he arrived at Mayers’ residence around noon with other officers. They took up “key positions” around the house and he announced their presence. “There was no response but I heard sounds as if some person was walking around quickly in the house,” the officer said.

While there, a woman who identified herself as the accused’s sister arrived and was informed about the warrant in Mayers’ name. “She stated that the house was her mother’s house, her sick mother was inside and she wanted to check on her mother,” Farrell disclosed.

When he entered the house Farrell said he noticed Mayers in the walkway coming from the direction of the front bedroom. The policeman said he learnt that was his mother’s bedroom. Mayers was served with the warrant.

The search, the officer said, went to the back bedroom and then to the front bedroom where his mother was lying on the bed.

“During the search I decided to have the bed in which [the woman] was lying searched,” he said. This required that the woman was removed from the bed.

“The sister was allowed to enter the bedroom to lend assistance in lifting . . . removing her mother from the bed . . . She was blind and she had one of her legs amputated. [She] was placed in a wheelchair close to the bed. The accused . . . also assisted in lifting [his mother] and remained in the bedroom.”

Inspector Farrell said another officer made a check of the bed but nothing was found.

“I saw that a thick multi-coloured blanket was wrapped around the lower part of [the woman’s] body,” said Farrell who added that one of his colleagues informed the woman that they wanted to make a check under the blanket.

The blanket was removed. “I saw a purple drawstring bag in [her] lap,” he told the court.

Asked what was in the bag the woman responded, “I do not know.”

The bag was opened in the presence of the accused, his sister and other officers. It contained a “black sock hat which in turn contained a black and silver Smith and Wesson firearm.”

The woman was told of what had been discovered and when asked how she got it, she replied, ‘Peter come in here and put that in my lap. I don’t know what it is.’

When Mayers was asked to account for the gun he stated, “I ain’t know nothing about that. Ask she who it belong to.”

When his mother was asked if she had heard what Mayers said, she responded, “He hide it pun me”.

Mayers’ was arrested on suspicion of having the illegal firearm which contained ten rounds of ammunition.

In his cross examination Mayers, who is representing himself, asked Farrell why the warrant had been executed in his name. The officer replied: “I received information that you were in possession of an unlicensed firearm.”