Commonwealth v. Dwyer

The defendant has appealed from his conviction of unlawfully carrying a firearm on his person (third offense) in violation of G. L. c. 269, § 10(a). He has raised the sole issue “[w]hether the judge’s striking of the entire testimony of the only defense witness to have contradicted the police version of the incident denied defendant his constitutional right to present a defense.”

There was evidence at trial from prosecution witnesses that on January 8, 1978, two police officers observed an automobile stopping at a sidewalk in Charlestown and saw three occupants alight. The defendant emerged…