Former Arkansas State Supreme Court judge Richard Mays (left) heads toward Bermuda's Supreme Court Three with Barket's lawyer, Saul Froomkin QC. Now in private practice, the former judge and politician has known Barket since the early 1970s. Photo Akil Simmons

A US lawyer and his wife broke down in tears yesterday as they told a jury he brought two guns to Bermuda in his luggage by accident.

Gary Barket, 61, faces at least ten years in jail if convicted of importing the weapons, which he says his wife Terry asked him to hide in a suitcase months before for safekeeping.

In emotional testimony at Supreme Court yesterday, the Arkansas-based lawyer claimed he had no idea they were still there when he brought the same case to Bermuda on a business trip.

"That would be crazy. It would be crazy to do anything to jeopardise my legal career and my family, to devastate them or subject myself to severe penalties," he protested.

Meanwhile his wife of 31 years also wiped away tears as she told the jury how she much she regrets asking him to hide the guns, which belonged to her late father.

She explained how she wished to ensure they were safely out of the way when cleaners came to their home in Little Rock.

"I asked him to hide the guns. I do not like guns, I do not like to handle them. We are not gun people, so it was sort of a 'honey do' thing, 'please do this for me dear.' I wanted him to take care of this for me. I asked him to put them in a safe place," she said.

The trial has heard how Mr. Barket travelled with the revolver, semi-automatic pistol and four bullets in his garment bag carried as hold luggage during plane trips to Bermuda from Arkansas, via Newark in New Jersey on January 23.

They were discovered when the bag was X-rayed at L.F Wade International Airport in Bermuda on his way home to Little Rock on January 25.

Barket denies three charges under the Firearms Act resulting from the discovery, which carry a mandatory ten year jail term upon conviction.

In his evidence in his own defence yesterday, Barket said the weapons belonged to his late father-in-law Walter Menkee Jr, and had been inherited by wife Terry upon Mr. Menkee's death.

She asked him to hide them away somewhere safe in October 2007. He claimed he put them in a garment bag hanging in another closet — and forgot they were there until staff at the airport discovered them.

Asked by his lawyer Saul Froomkin QC whether he intended to bring the weapons into Bermuda or had any idea that he had done so, Barket replied: "No, absolutely not."

Mrs. Barket followed him onto the witness stand later yesterday, telling the jury how they have been married for 31 years and have one son, who is himself married.

Mrs. Barket explained that she inherited the guns from her father when he died in 1989. Her mother passed away in 1998 and the ashes of both her parents were subsequently stored in a closet at her home along with the firearms.

Mrs. Barket told the jury both her parents served in the US military. Her father was in World War Two and the Korean War, reaching the rank of Major. Her mother, Edith Menkee, reached the rank of Captain.

In October 2007, she said, she came across the guns while retrieving their ashes and accompanying paperwork to present to the Arlington National Cemetery, where those who served in the US armed forces are honoured. Their ashes are due to be interred there next month on what would have been their 63rd wedding anniversary.

Mrs. Barket broke down in tears as she told the jury how she asked her husband to hide the firearms away from cleaners due to go through the closet, and he secreted them in the garment bag in question.

Defence lawyer Mr. Froomkin inquired whether she recalled prior to her husband's trip to Bermuda that they were still in the bag. "No, I regret that," she replied.

The defendant is on bail and the case continues.

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