The appellant, Christian Walters, appealed his convictions for unauthorized possession of a firearm, possession of a loaded restricted firearm, possession of a restricted weapon without a licence, possession of prohibited devices, careless storage of a firearm, and unlawful possession of cocaine, as well as his sentence of 38 months' imprisonment.
The convictions stemmed from items found during a search warrant execution at an apartment he frequented.
The trial judge found Walters had knowledge and control of the items based on circumstantial evidence, including his association with a shooting suspect and the location of his personal items near the seized contraband.
The Court of Appeal dismissed the conviction appeal, finding the trial judge's reasoning on possession was sound and the verdicts were not unreasonable, nor inconsistent with the co-accused's acquittal.
The sentence appeal was also dismissed, as the court found the sentence was appropriate given the serious nature of the offences involving both firearms and drugs, and the appellant's moral culpability.
