A man has appeared in court after a hoard of guns, knives and ammunition – including a type designed to expand on impact – was found during a police raid.
The deadly weapons were discovered during a search of the home in Chapeltown, on Wednesday.
On March 15, Dion Samuels, of St John’s Court, Sholebroke Avenue, Chapeltown, appeared at a preliminary hearing at Leeds Magistrates’ Court.
The 49-year-old, who has no firearms licence, is accused of having an Italian-made 12-bore shotgun, a revolver, bulleted cartridges and further cartridges of ammunition incorporating a type of missile designed to expand on impact.
A suspect package, also discovered at the address, was blown up during a controlled explosion at Soldier’s Field, in Roundhay, on Thursday.
A number of residents had to be evacuated from their homes following the discovery before army experts stepped in to detonate it.
Residents returned to their homes safely soon after.
At the hearing Samuels, who spoke only to confirm his name and address, was also accused of being in possession of a further 22 cartridges of ammunition, a stun gun and a semi-automatic pistol between January 1 2010 and September 26 2010.
The 2010 charges relate to an earlier police raid, in which a holdall was found with weapons inside.
Diane Gomersall, prosecuting, told the court that police had been “actively searching” for Samuels in relation to the earlier charges.
She said that Samuels’s house also was found to contain machetes, hunting knives and hammers during Wednesday’s raid.
Alex Boyd, defending, said that Samuels has been in receipt of income support for the last five years and has lived at his Chapeltown address for eight months.
District Judge David Kitson committed the case to Leeds Crown Court on March 21.