MAGISTRATES have refused jurisdiction in a case involving two men found in possession of a revolver.

The court at Bury was told on Wednesday that the firearm, with a spent cartridge in one chamber, was found lying in the footwell of a car carrying Kyle Anderson and Robert Banks when it was stopped by police on April 7.

Both Anderson (22) of Welling Street, Radcliffe, and Banks (22) of St Andrew's Road, Radcliffe, are charged with possession of a firearm, namely an Ivor Johnson model 1900 .38 revolver.

In addition, Banks, a member of the Territorial Army, faces a further matter that as a person who had been sentenced to youth custody for a term of three months or more, he had in his possession a firearm before the expiration of a period of five years from the date of his release.

Both men had their cases adjourned and they were committed to crown court at Bolton for trial. Conditional bail was granted and reporting restrictions were not lifted.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.