Gary Young, aged 36, said he was merely a probationary member of the Hells Angel chapter

Gary Young, aged 36, said he was merely a probationary member of the Hells Angel chapter, even though it was his fingerprints police found on a box containing cartridges. Young, of Blossom Farm, gave evidence on his own behalf at Swansea crown court and told the jury about the Hell's Angels. He said the west Wales chapter had its own president, vice president and sergeant at arms. He named Paul Willis as the president but said he had no idea who held the other two positions. He said they met regularly at Bethany House on the Old Hakin Road in Haverfordwest, a property owned by the group of motorcycle enthusiasts. He said the house was protected with barred windows and CCTV cameras. The jury has heard how police raided the house on September 6th, 2007. Among the rafters of a detached garage they found a loaded handgun fitted with a silencer and with the safety catch already switched off.
They also discovered ammunition for the weapon and another type for a Berretta style pistol. Young, who denies charges of possessing the gun, silencer and the two lots of ammunition, said he had been invited to visit Bethany House and eventually became a probationary member, or "prospect." He paid £20 a week for membership and attended about four times a week. He explained that meetings of those with full membership took place "upstairs" and he was not allowed to attend. Young said he was regularly asked to clear up the house and, two days before the police raid, had noticed the gun and ammunition while working in the garage. He said he left them where they were but contacted Paul Willis. Mr Willis, he said, assured him he would "sort it out."
On the day of the police raid he was contacted by another member who called an emergency meeting of the chapter at his flat. About a month later, said Young, that member was "kicked out" of the Hell's Angels. Questioned by Geraint Walters, prosecuting, Young denied that he was the sergeant at arms. Young agreed that police had found an air rifle at his farm which also had a silencer fitted, but explained that without such a device "the first shot at a rabbit makes the others run away."