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Trio found not guilty of attempted murder conspiracy charge

Three men accused of conspiring to shoot another have been found not guilty by a jury — but their Supreme Court trial continues for a charge of using a firearm.Jahkeil Samuels, 27, Jamin Saltus, 23, and Ronniko Burchall, 22, are on trial alongside Alex Vanderpool, 22, who is accused of handling a firearm.The three were initially charged with conspiring in an attempted gun murder on February 29, 2012 — in which one man wasn’t hit, and another was shot in the buttock.Neither can be named for legal reasons.Yesterday, the six-week trial took a new turn when Puisne Judge Stephen Hellman downgraded the gun charges from attempted murder to grievous bodily harm — and then instructed the jury to find the three accused not guilty of counts one and two.The three pleaded not guilty to the amended charge of using a firearm to commit an indictable offence — namely, shooting a person with a firearm intending to cause grievous bodily harm. The Royal Gazette was barred from reporting the legal basis for the altered charges.Lawyer Marc Daniels, representing Mr Samuels, then questioned defence witness Raziyah Smith.Ms Smith told the court that Mr Samuels, who shared a St David’s residence with her, was at home on the night of the alleged shooting.When they got news of the incident, the two spent the night “on the computer, surfing the internet”, she said.The trial continues.