Barry Campbell

Barry Campbell’s conviction was supported by evidence showing his fingerprints on a bag that a gun was kept in. On appeal, the court concluded that based on the evidence the jury had seen, they were not entitled to conclude beyond reasonable doubt that Campbell had knowledge and control of the gun. They noted that the jury would be entitled to infer only that Campbell had come into contact at some time with the black plastic bag which had been used by someone to wrap the rifle. They reached this finding on the basis that Campbell was not the sole occupant of the flat and that the gun was concealed and there was no evidence that Campbell had been seen with it. On this basis, the conviction was quashed.