A St John man who kept a homemade firearm he claimed to have found along the coastline due to the “ongoing state” of the island has been fined $10 000 after police discovered the weapon during a patrol.
Brandon Cameron Standard of Zores Land, Martin’s Bay, St John, pleaded guilty to having a handmade firearm without a valid licence on November 3, 2025 in the No. 5 Supreme Court.
Acting Senior State Counsel Maya Kellman told the court that police were on mobile patrol in Gall Hill, St John, near the community centre and saw a group of men in the area of a shop, one of whom was the now-convicted man. There was a strong scent of marijuana coming from the area.
The convicted man, who was wearing a black hoodie and long jeans, looked in the direction of the police and ran off, arousing suspicion. They chased and apprehended him. Upon searching Standard, they found a brown firearm with a wooden handle and black tape around it in the area of his groin.
When asked to give an account, he said: “That is for my personal protection.”
During his interview, he told officers that he found the firearm along the coastline in Martin’s Bay and had it for three months before the arrest.
Asked why he had not turned it over to police, Standard replied: “When I first found it, the thought crossed my mind, but due to the ongoing state of the island, I decide to hold on to it, which was a mistake on my part and I apologise.”
He explained that “the state of the island” meant “the ongoing crime and murders”, and said the firearm was a single-shot weapon.
Moments before his sentencing, Standard apologised to his family and the court: “I promise I will never place myself in this situation again.”
In her sentencing submissions, defence attorney Zaria Taylor, who represented Standard, submitted a starting point of eight years, finding it aggravating that the firearm was in a public place and that Standard had attempted to run from police.
But she said the firearm was not of a high calibre and had not been used in the commission of any crime, before pointing out her client had no previous convictions, had been gainfully employed and was 21 at the time of the offence.
“The ballistics report does not give a calibre in that it is homemade. To be frank with the court, we are looking at a rusty pipe gun,” Taylor said, adding that the mitigating factors should lead to a reduction in the sentence by two years, before deductions of his early plea discount and time on remand were taken into account. She submitted that a fine of $7 500 be paid immediately for the offence, failing which the custodial sentence should be activated.
But prosecutor Kellman gave a 10-year starting point, insisting that it was aggravating that the homemade weapon was dangerous, that he had the firearm for a long time, and that it was in a public place, while the only mitigating factor in the offence was that it was recovered. She contended that a one-year reduction be given for his cooperation with the police, his guilty plea, and remorse, before other discounts were applied.
Agreeing that a fine would meet justice in the case, she submitted that he pay $10 000, half of which would be due immediately and the balance in three months.
Justice Pamela Beckles found the nature and gravity of the offence, that the firearm was unlicensed and found in a public place, the prevalence of such offences, and that he had attempted to evade capture all aggravating, and gave an eight-year starting point.
Standard’s remorse, age, and cooperation led to a two-year reduction, before he was credited with his 257 days on remand and his plea.
The judge said: “I’ve seen homemade firearms that look ridiculous. This looked like a real firearm. The fact that it wasn’t functioning properly, to tell the truth, it was more a danger to him probably in that he could have shot himself, but it looked like a real firearm. I am not going to say that it deserves a fine of $1 000. That is not acceptable at all, not with what is going on out there in society. So the message has to be sent that these types of offences are not permitted and my standard fine that I intend to impose in this case is $10 000, which is to be paid forthwith, or you will serve the alternative custodial sentence.
“Mr Standard, I want you to go out there and spread the word. You do not want to see not even a picture of a firearm. Turn and go in the other direction and pull your life together, and I wish you all the best.”
(JB)
