The trial of a woman charged in connection with guns and ammunition found in a parcel collected from the General Post Office 11 years ago, began in Supreme Court No. 2 on Monday.
Maria Maleissa Moseley, of Villa Park, Brittons Hill, St Michael, is accused of having three firearms without a licence as well as 24 rounds of ammunition without a valid permit, on July 10, 2012.
Several witnesses gave evidence, including postal clerk Carol Oxley, who told the court that on the afternoon in question, the accused presented her with an express notice for the collection of a package and her identification card at the post office in Cheapside.
Oxley went into the vault to collect the package and checked to ensure that the express notice, the recipient’s name and address matched. She then took the package to Moseley and instructed her to open it as per the policy of the post office. The box contained toiletries, including Ajax, Bounty and Purex soap powder.
“I asked her to open the Purex soap powder but I could tell that she was having difficulty, so I opened it for her myself. What I saw was a white plastic protruding out of the soap powder box, so when I opened the white plastic, I found a gun. On further examination of the soap powder box, I found two more guns and ammunition,” she said.
After immediately informing the customs officer and her supervisor, the police were contacted, the postal clerk stated.
In his opening, Principal State Counsel Oliver Thomas, who is prosecuting along with State Counsel Dr Zoe King, told the nine-member jury that the state must prove that the accused woman had knowledge of the firearms and ammunition.
“The burden of proof is on the state,” he said while urging the jurors to listen closely to the facts before forming an opinion.
Moseley is represented by Senior Counsel Angela Mitchell-Gittens.
The trial continues on Tuesday.
