A man charged with robbing a bank told police he found a BB gun and sold it for “a joint” after being confronted with DNA evidence linking him to the crime.

Gregory Tucker, 24, has denied allegations that he entered the Butterfield Bank branch on June 9 last year, threatening staff with an imitation Beretta pistol before making off with cash.

A piece of the weapon left at the scene by mistake showed a strong DNA match with Mr Tucker after his arrest almost one month later.

As the trial continued yesterday, the court was shown videotaped interviews with Mr Tucker about the robbery.

In an initial interview, Mr Tucker told police that on the day of the robbery he was with his cousin, Richard Baisden Jr, in St George’s all day. Asked if he had any contact with an imitation or toy firearm, he said he had not.

However, in a subsequent interview, officers are heard informing him that his DNA was found on a piece of the fake weapon left at the scene by the culprit.

Asked if he had any idea how his DNA could have gotten on the item, he said: “I have one thing I have to tell you. I found a BB gun. I showed it to a couple of people. I met this guy through someone else who wanted to purchase the BB gun. I gave it to him for a joint.”

He explained that he found the item in some trees off Cut Road, St George’s, while he was trying to smoke a joint in mid-May. He said he kept it under a couch, forgetting about it for a period before selling it a few weeks before the robbery.

He described the BB gun as clear, with writing on the side indicating that it was a BB gun, adding that the weapon had not been spray-painted black when he sold it.

While Mr Tucker said he did not recall the name of the man who he sold it to, saying he had a bald head and “looked like a crack head”.

He later said the man’s nickname was “Smells”, adding: “The one who breaks into houses and all that.”

Asked about his financial situation, he said the last time he had received a large sum of money was 2½ months previous, when he was paid around $2,500 to $3,000 for landscaping work by a man who had since left the Island. He said he kept the money in cash because he preferred to deposit money in the bank only when he was going to need to use his bank card.

While the officers suggested that he had fabricated the story to distance himself from the robbery, he maintained his innocence, saying he did not rob the bank and did not know who did.

Earlier this week the defendant’s ex-girlfriend, Faith Best, recalled to Supreme Court finding a toy gun under her sofa before the incident, while Mr Tucker was living at her Smith’s home.

She added that she had ordered him to dispose of the item for the sake of her young child. Ms Best also recounted that, after a falling out with the defendant, he had left her a voicemail message asking her to remove a Clorox box from under the couch, place it in his green duffel bag, then leave the bag outside her side door for him to collect.

She claimed that inside the box, she found rolled up bills matching the description of the money stolen from the bank.

Defence lawyer Charles Richardson, however, accused Ms Best of “being dishonest” in her testimony, suggesting that she had misled police officers and arguing that the money could have come from Mr Tucker’s “side hustle” selling cannabis.

The trial continues.

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