London — The British Army regimental sergeant, who was accused of stealing “deadly” ammunition and selling it to masked police officers disguised as gangsters through accomplices, found money in a safe in his bedroom as a car part.
However, prosecutor Duncan Atkinson, QC, told the Sutherk Crown Court jury that the 45 serial number on the 20-pound banknote found in the vault of Sergeant Cartland Gil, technical quartermaster in his bedroom. , Consistent with what was handed over by the undercover investigator, to D, another soldier, Sergeant Reims Rajon Graham.
Graham, 33, has already pleaded guilty to four charges of selling ammunition between December 7, 2020 and January 28, 2021.
41-year-old Gil denies the plot to sell ammunition and possesses an illegal firearm, a Turkish-made Ekol Firat self-loading pistol found in Windsor’s home hut when arrested in January 2021. ..
The jury was reported to have sold 300 9mm bullets, commonly referred to as “sweets,” for £ 5,800 in cash at Graham’s four meetings with D.
Courts have heard that Gil is the regimental leader of the Coldstream Guards, an elite unit that protects the royal family of Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.
On Tuesday, D submitted evidence of a deal with Graham, known as Soulj for Soulj, from behind a screen that protects his identity.
Masked police officer “… not allowed to incite criminal activity”
He was first asked by Atkinson about the limitations of his role as a masked police officer, saying that he was “not allowed to encourage, incite or incite criminal activity” that would not have happened otherwise. explained.
D disguised himself as a drug-handling criminal and was interested in getting guns and ammunition, and by December 2020, the deal with Graham had reached the stage where he agreed to a contract to buy ammunition. Stated.
At one point, D said Graham took him to the Victoria Barracks near Windsor Castle and was swayed by armed guards.
D said he thought they were there to collect the ammunition he had agreed to buy, but Graham said his friend, who was the regimental sergeant, was busy in an interview with The Sun.
“He (Graham) said his friend was being interviewed by the Sun newspaper because he was the first black man to run the camp and was a warrant officer. He told me he was the sergeant of the regiment. “D said.
D said Graham called his friends several times on WhatsApp and noticed that the name displayed on Graham’s phone was Gil from Cartland.
He said Graham’s friend, a slim black man in a camouflage uniform, came out and boarded a white Ford Transit van and chased him to a nearby house.
The court heard that police officers continued to monitor Gil and Graham the following month as D arranged to purchase ammunition from Graham.
The court once heard that Graham stopped by Gil’s house in Cavary Crescent to pick up something. The prosecution drove to meet D and handed him 100 9mm ammunition in return for £ 1,900 in cash. ..
On January 28, 2021, Gil and Graham were both arrested in the backyard of Gil’s house.
Atkinson told police officers who had been arrested while police were searching for a hut in Gil’s yard. I don’t know what it is. I bought it from a guy … it’s a replica pistol. “
Self-loading pistol found in a garden hut
A few minutes later, police officers found an Ekol Firat pistol in the hut, a weapon that can only fire gas or blanks, but is prohibited by the Firearms Act, Atkinson said. They also found £ 5,440 in cash in the safe in his bedroom. It contained a note of the serial number that matched what D gave to Graham.
He said Gil provided “no comment” through his police interview.
“But he had no knowledge of ammunition theft and provided a prepared statement saying that the money in the vault came from the sale of auto parts,” Atkinson added.
Atkinson told the court on Monday: “Cold Stream Guards have a special responsibility for the protection of Her Majesty, but more generally they are also an integral part of the British Army. In that respect, they are, of course, mass for both combat and combat training. I need ammunition. “
He said Jamaican-born Gil, who joined the army in 2001, was responsible for managing the ammunition used by the regiment in its firing practice.
The trial is set to last for two weeks.
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Chris Summers is a UK-based journalist with a particular interest in crime, police and law, covering stories from a wide range of countries.