A Warwick man who admitted handling a firearm was yesterday sentenced to spend five years behind bars.

Quincy Simmons, 23, pleaded guilty to the offence in the Supreme Court last November after police discovered gun parts in his bedroom.

Prosecutor Victoria Greening said that in August of 2015, officers had reason to search the apartment building where Simmons lived with his family.

During the search, they found a blue plastic bag containing parts of a black Hi-Point C9 9mm pistol hidden under his mattress.

A firearms expert said the parts were in poor condition with a “lot of wear and tear”, and that some components needed to fire the weapon — including a firing pin — were not present.

DNA tests on the weapon parts were conducted, with Simmons listed as a major donor. Those whom he lived with were excluded. Simmons was not present when his home was searched, but was arrested later that morning at Albuoy’s Point.

Ms Greening and defence lawyer Charles Richardson, who represented Simmons in court, said that a sentence of five years in prison would be appropriate given both the facts of the case and legal precedents.

Mr Richards added that while Simmons had appeared before the courts before, he had never been convicted of a similar offence. He said Simmons would generally be suitable for a non-custodial sentence, but he accepted that an immediate custodial sentence was inevitable.

Simmons declined an opportunity to speak on his sentencing.

Puisne Judge Carlisle Greaves noted the agreement of the counsel involved in the case, sentencing Simmons to five years in prison with time already spent in custody taken into account.

• It is The Royal Gazette’s policy not to allow comments on stories regarding criminal court cases. As we are legally liable for any slanderous or defamatory comments made on our website, this move is for our protection as well as that of our readers.