Firearms Charges: 72-Yr-Old Tourist
In Magistrates Court this morning [Nov.25], 72-year-old North Carolinian Egbert Haywood, a visitor to Bermuda, was remanded into custody after being charged with firearms offences.
Mr Haywood was charged with the indictable offences of being in unlawful possession of a .32 calibre revolver, possessing four rounds of .32 calibre ammunition, and an possessing an extendable baton.
Wearing khaki pants and a blue/grey shirt, Mr Haywood sat quietly through the proceedings and was described as a Church missionary.
Represented by lawyer Saul Froomkin, QC, the US citizen was not required to enter a plea to the three charges all of which stem from the alleged weapon discovery and subsequent arrest as he sought to leave Bermuda, for Canada, three days ago [Nov.22]. The charges can only be dealt with in Supreme Court.
Senior Magistrate Archie Warner set 2nd December 2011 as the next mention date.
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If he is guilty, I’m sure this guys sole intent was to sell it to some ‘gangsta’ and help aid with the gang shootings.
Lol, poor guy probably just forgot or something.
I will be keeping an eye on this case let’s see what happens to him.
..so confusing. Did he come with the gun and was now just trying to leave with it? Did he purchase it here on island? What the deuce?
Now Egbert, you know dang-tootin we got us some gun laws down in these parts.
What in carnation are y’all tryin?
“Church Missionary”… That says it all doesnt it.
Are we Sierra Leone all of a sudden….??
you sound like some army freak or something
No matter the outcome of the case this is one tourist who we won’t have to worry about returning. won’t have to worry about anyone he knows coming her either.
who gives a sh*t, we have laws follow them.
@laws: I hope you are a self-sufficient entity with millions of spendable cash just laying around…….
Agreed, if he was leaving with the gun, chances are he just forgot about it. Let dude go about his business. The ones that need to be in front of the judge are the customs officers that were on duty when he arrived in Bermuda….
@ Puzzled I totally agree with Your statement “if he was leaving with the gun, chances are he just forgot about it. Let dude go about his business. The ones that need to be in front of the judge are the customs officers that were on duty when he arrived in Bermuda!”
Especially if he had in WHEN HE ARRIVED in Bermuda!!!!! They can check my slip and poke through my luggage to see if I have included ALL my Victoria Secrets but they can’t find a gun!!!
I’m sure he did not buy it here as guns and licenses are easily obtained in the States if you are legit!!!!
Puzzled, I guess that you would be happy if every single person arriving at the airport had to have their bags searched? In case you have never arrived at the airport, not everyone has to have their bags searched. Wake up and type something sensible.
Exactly my sentiments!!
I so agree with you !Poor bugger forgot he had it ! Customs should have found the gun and due process. Guess we’ll see !!!
Totally agree!!!!
Exactly…
Well now, that says an awful lot of Bermudas attitude & why visitors & their $$$$$$$ are going elsewhere.
So he allegedly brought it with him……can they explain how easily it got past security in the U.S and then through Bermuda…..and we wonder why guns are on the island……Minister of Security had better start actually working
The man committed no US crime & there was no security breach at a US airport. It is legal to own guns in the US & legal to carry an unloaded gun in checked baggage.
IF YOU PUT THE GUN IN YOUR SUITCASE IT WON’T BE DETECTED IF IT GOES IN THE LUGGAGE COMPARTMENT. sECURITY IN OVERSEAS IS MORE CONCERNED ABOUT PEOPLE BRINGING WEAPONS ON THE PLANE.
MEANWHILE, CUSTOMS IN BERMUDA ARE LOOKING FOR DRUGS AND THE DRUG DOG DOES NOT SMELL FOR WEAPONS.
DON’T ANY OF YOU EVER TRAVEL? OPEN YOUR EYES AND SEE WHAT’S GOING ON AROUND YOU WHEN YOU TRAVEL, THEN YOU WOULDN’T MAKE SILLY STSATEMENTS LIKE……..”can they explain how easily it got past security in the U.S and then through Bermuda…..and we wonder why guns are on the island”.
How much do you travel? Do you realize that 90% of luggage that goes International goes through a screen testing. So the question remains, how the hell did the gun get through US Customs in the first place or was it Canada, wherever he came from. Frightening as those type of lapses are actually the weaknesses that terriost exploit.
I want to know how he allegedly got it in!!!!! He was charged with LEAVING WITH IT….stop it from getting here to begin with! It is not like he shot anyone with it whilst he was here. The cost to house him at Westgate is not worth it in my opinion.
Confiscate the gun and ammunition give him a fine and send him packing on his merry way.
We need a large sign at the airport stating NO GUNS OR AMMUNITION ALLOWED especially if the security at the airports of previous destinations are not catching this stuff.
My husband suggested that we have what Cancun has…an x ray machine as you leave with your luggage. That way we can catch this at the point of entry NOT departure.
“No matter the outcome of the case this is one tourist who we won’t have to worry about returning. won’t have to worry about anyone he knows coming her either”.
Really, is that even the issue here? A weapon was allegedly found on this individual in OUR ISLAND!!!!!! He deserves every right to clear himself of the charges, but to worry at this point of his or his friends return visit????
We should have been worrying about all the non-return visitors we have lost from days ago when we did not care about providing a quality destination, or felt I.B. was filling the voids.
He is to be processed by the law as stated; no matter if he is a local or tourist. I can guarantee if it was me in his country the same would take place.
As an american who is completely against the ridiculous war on terror unleashed by george bush and the continuation of the ridiculous screening implemented by the tsa which has been perpetuated by Barrack Obama, how is it that guns, underwear bombs, shoe bombs, drugs and God know what else are able to make it through u.s. security? Don’t bother to try to take a bottle of water or a sandwich through security, just bring a gun or explosives instead. What a continuing farce!!!!
Whew, good thing the BPS is protecting us from those 72 year old gangstas allegedly smuggling their guns OUT of Bermuda.
So, where was the gun allegedly hidden? Checked bags, carry on or concealed on his body? Loaded or unloaded? 4 rounds of ammunition. Oh Really!!!! This guy is a real Rambo! At 72 years old too.
Who allegedly caught him? US immigration people here don’t do a search. The baggage scanners here? Security here?
I agree with a previous poster. Sign at the arrivals giving the opportunity to surrender the gun, no charges. Pick it up from US Customs on your way out & put it inn your checked bags.
This is what happens when driving into Canada. US citizens can take licensed guns such as hunting rifles into Canada but not handguns. Turn them in at the border & pick them up on your way back through.
As usual you are wrong yet again! Rifles and hanguns can be imported into Canada provided they meet Canada laws and the paperwork (temp firearms licences) are obtained. Do it without paperwork and try and sneak them in you will be staying in Canada longer than you thought and when you leave it wont be with your firearms!
Come on this is so stupid and a major waste of public money, he’s 72, he is zero threat and he wants to go home. Let him, and focus on sorting the real crime issues in Bermuda out.
I believe if you are leaving the U.S and your gun is in your checked in luggage your ok. Maybe he thought they want see it in his carry on bag or in his checked luggage while leaving Bermuda. At least that’s what his defense will be.
Wrong! All firearms and ammo in checked luggage have to be carried (seperate) in approved TSA/FAA containers and be declared both to the airline/TSA and the local authorities upon arrival. There is an established protocol for travelling with firearms and it happens 1000′s of time a day all over the world.
I guess the Pee el Pee’s new security minister wants to show they’re tough on gun crime. Gotta lock up those senior gun exporters.
The man is 72 years old from NC! He probably heard all that racial propaganda and thought he had better load up! LOL. If he was taking it with him, just let the man go home, they’ll probably give him a hard time as well.
Oh stop b^tching and moaning about everything. Have you guys nothing else to do except sit at your desks and such us dry.
S$%t, get real. And you wonder why the overload of frustraion is here.
The man should never have been incarcirated. Nor should he need a lawyer.
I mean….Saul Froomkin? S&^t, thats $400 a minute.
Put the cigar down, extinguish it and move along.
You lot make me sick.
@NCB – How do you know this guy is “zero threat”? Advanced age does not necessarily indicate harmlessness. As for him going home, he was NOT going home…he was flying to Canada, where there are also strict laws relating to the importation of handguns. The big question is why would a missionary be carrying a gun that is for the express purpose of killing humans? Some “man of God”, huh? But, hey, maybe he was taking the gun out of the country for some local gangster who had used it in a shooting or murder here and had expressed that he’d “found God”!
old fool didnt realize he could have made 10,000 off that tool. smh..Guess he isnt a triple OG like I though he was..lol
Maybe as a missionary he was stopped just short from enacting his own Samuel L Jackson ‘Pulp Fiction’ scene? ‘And I will strike down with great fury’ etc….
Good stop BDA cops!
On the whole Americans are poorly travelled and thus fairly ignorant so this incident is not surprising. Guns however are the scourge of our society and these people need to understand that they have broken a serious law and their stupidity is a danger to those who live on the island. What happens when someone with the intent of smuggling a weapon gets caught at customs, do they just plead stupidity and get a slap on the wrist because of this precedent? People seem to forget that these people carry guns to keep with them as protection, If the idiot was stupid enough to bring the gun with him in the first place who is to say that he didn’t have it on his person when he was out and about on the island. He may have been robbed or burgled and regardless of how unlikely this scenario is it puts us as Bermudians and residents in danger and needs to be punished.
Try this sort of lark out in somewhere like Singapore and you’ll be lucky not to get 10 years.
Those items the pistol, ammo and baton are ILLEGAL in Canada also!
One should expect anyone found with an unlicenced firearm and ammo in Bermuda would be treated the same way but it seems as if you are old or young, local or visitor, black or white you could or even should be expected to be given special treatment.
What if instead of a firearm, drugs were found?
The gun isn’t necessarily illegal in Canada with a license and appropriate permits. The baton, not so sure.
Any pistol in that caliber is illegal in Canada, you CANNOT get a permit for it. Take a look here, http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publications/pub/bsf5044-eng.html Possession of restricted or prohibited firearms with ammunition (if on indictment, to a minimum of one year and a maximum of 10 years, if by summary conviction, to a maximum of one year, what really irks me is that the same people saying that he should be let go would change their tune if this offender was of a different race or nationality. Ignorance of the Law is no excuse! Every lawfull firearms owner is responsible to make sure they follow the law in respect to having that firearm, wherever they may be.
Hmmm…he was departing Bermuda for Canada Maybe someone here, paid him to take the gun and ammo to someone in Canada (for whatever reason)!
The article says the offence must be tried in the Supreme Court, but the Firearms Act lists sentences for summary conviction, so I’m a little confused by this. He’s unlikely to get a long sentence, unless there are aggravating circumstances we don’t yet know about. Mere possession of an unloaded firearm while attempting to leave Bermuda – it’s a victimless crime.
The reason why travellers are screened prior to leaving Bermuda is because Federal law prohibits the carrying of any firearm, concealed or unconcealed, on or about the person or in carry-on baggage while aboard an aircraft. So it’s not a victimless crime.
NCB, you need to go with him. He is a gun toting missionary on a mission to slay satan in de isles of devils – BDA, you think?