A 24-year-old man who shot himself in the hand by mistake was yesterday behind bars.

Shayne James was remanded in custody after a Supreme Court jury found him guilty of handling a firearm and discharging a firearm.

The court heard that James arrived at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital at about 1.20pm on August 19 last year with a single gunshot wound to his left hand.

He claimed he had been sitting on Fentons Drive in Pembroke when a man approached him and pointed a gun in his face.

James said he felt a burning sensation in his hand as he tried to flee, and was later taken to hospital in a private car.

Detectives from the Serious Crime Unit launched an investigation, but soon began to doubt his story.

Prosecutors told the court during the trial that James was evasive when asked about the incident and unable to provide officers with any description of the alleged shooter.

A police canine unit was sent to the scene after James was questioned in hospital and officers located a pool of blood on Fentons Drive and a spring coil in the blood trail.

Police followed the trail and found a home-made firearm — a pipe gun — hidden in a banana tree nearby.

They also discovered a bullet head in a wall, which appeared to have lodged there after it was fired.

James was arrested the day after the incident and questioned by police.

Forensic samples were also taken and an empty Winchester 357 SIG cartridge was found inside the weapon.

Tests showed that DNA samples found on the pipe gun matched James’s profile and he was charged with handling and discharging a firearm.

James denied all the charges, but yesterday afternoon a jury took less than four hours to find him guilty of both charges by a majority of 10-2.

He will be sentenced at a later date.

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