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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Guilty in weapons operation
Jury rejects man's argument guns on property a surprise
Elwyn Evans says he was stunned to discover his sprawling property was home to a massive weapons operation. But a Winnipeg jury clearly wasn't buying his story, finding Evans guilty of running an illegal enterprise.
Evans, 66, was found guilty of five charges Tuesday, including manufacturing firearms, only a few hours after deliberations began. The case revolves around an August 2006 police raid in Komarno, about 75 kilometres north of Winnipeg.
Officers found 19 Sten submachine-guns, 121 Sten magazines and a homemade .50-calibre rifle. They also discovered three solid-steel pen guns -- homemade guns disguised as ballpoint pens.
"There is absolutely no direct evidence against Mr. Evans," defence lawyer Gerri Wiebe said Monday in her closing argument following a two-week trial. She argued other visitors to the property, including a person living in an outlying camper-trailer, must have been responsible for the cache.
Police found no fingerprints or other forensic evidence linking Evans to the firearms.
Crown attorney Brian Bell had a different take, urging jurors to believe the evidence of a witness who said he sold Sten parts to Evans about a year earlier. There were also drawings of the pen guns found in Evans' attached garage along with other pieces used to assemble the weapons.
Evans admits to being an expert in working with metals and that he would have been capable of assembling the guns in his shop. He will be sentenced at a later date.
www.mikeoncrime.com
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition September 19, 2012 B3
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