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.