Belmont man jailed for four years on gun, ammo possession charge

A Belmont man has been sentenced to four years imprisonment, after he pleaded guilty to possession of a gun and ammunition, tools said to have been used in an attempted murder last week.

When he appeared before the Serious Offences Court yesterday, Benson Browne was charged that on December 8, 2016, he had in his possession one silver and brown .380 pistol, serial number AP136990 {{more}}without a licence under the Firearms Act.

He was further charged that on that same day, he had in his possession 17 rounds of .9 mm ammunition and three rounds of .380 ammunition without a licence, under the Firearms Act.

Browne has also been charged with attempted murder on Demron Delpesche at Belmont on December 4, 2016. According to police, the 23-year-old was met at his Belmont home around 5:30 a.m. when officers went there armed with a search warrant.

After Browne consented to the search, PC Toppin found a black and brown shoebox in a stove that when uncovered, turned up the firearm wrapped in a red and white T-shirt.

Browne was cautioned and replied “Ah get it from me father.”

He was subsequently arrested and taken to the Calliaqua Police Station where officers obtained another search warrant following further investigations.

They returned to Browne’s home around 4:30 p.m. that same day and found a Ziploc bag containing a quantity of ammunition of different calibres, hidden in a black speaker box in his room.

He was cautioned by officers and replied, “I got them from my father.”

Before handing down a sentence, Chief Magistrate Rechanne Browne-Matthias stated that she does not want persons to be affected by firearms, no matter who they are.

“Almost every day we hear that someone is shot or killed,” she declared.

The Chief Magistrate noted that she has a non-tolerance stance against gun related offences and she intends to deter people from getting involved in those activities.

She further noted that the offence carries a maximum sentence of seven years, although she must also consider that Browne, before the incident, was a virgin to the law.

Browne-Matthias, however, added, “The nature of the offence is extremely serious and aggravating and I cannot discount that.”

Browne was then sentenced to four years imprisonment as it relates to the gun charge.

Additionally, a two-year sentence was handed down for the possession of 17 rounds of ammunition, while a nine-month term of imprisonment was handed down for the possession of three rounds of ammunition. The sentences would run concurrently.

A preliminary inquiry into the attempted murder is scheduled for March 30, 2017. (AS)