Emily Lanham secures an acquittal in firearms case

Emily Lanham represented a man charged with possession of a firearm without a certificate. The Defendant had been arrested after refusing to leave his property on the day of eviction. He was found to be in possession of several weapons including a 19^th Century antique Enfield Musket. He claimed that he did not know this weapon was capable of firing and he had sawn the end off the barrel to keep it more conveniently in his flat.

The Crown’s case was that he intended to fire the weapon, which two experts had found to be live and had successfully fired it. The Defence was that this weapon was kept as an ornament or curios.

The Defence were able to show that the Crown had not found the Defendant to be in possession of the necessary percussion caps required to discharge the weapon. The Defendant was acquitted after a 3-day trial.