A St. David?s cricket player avoided nine months in prison after he begged Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner for leniency.

Landro Me Coy Minors Bascome, 20, of Cave Valley, St. David?s, was charged for a myriad of offences in Magistrates? Court yesterday.

He received an $800 fine for possessing 3.39 grams of cannabis on April 1 and a $1,000 fine for possessing 0.08 grams of cocaine on the same day.

He also pleaded guilty to importing and possessing an illegal firearm and received $250 fines for each offence.

A member of the public called Police on July 28, 2003 when Minors Bascome was seen shooting what appeared to be a gun in St. David?s.

Police questioned Minors Bascome and he admitted owning a paintball pellet gun and handed it over to Police.

He purchased the firearm while on a family vacation in Florida.

Minors Bascome said: ?I never knew it was an illegal weapon. I always brought it out and played with it like a toy.?

He told the court he was sorry and that he never caused anyone harm with the ?toy?.

Mr. Warner would have none of it and said: ?This is a serious offence, I have been locking up people for this.

?It is my view, in light of the violence in Bermuda, one of the few things that have saved Bermuda from violence with a firearm instead of violence with machetes is the strict firearm legislation.?

Mr. Warner then sentenced the St. David?s youth to nine months in prison.

Minors Bascome looked distressed at the thought of facing jail time for playing around with a ?toy? and requested to speak again. He told the court: ?All it does is shoot paint. You can buy the paint here. When I brought it through (Immigration) I didn?t hide it and no one stopped me. I didn?t know it was illegal.?

He also said that he had a child on the way.

Mr. Warner listened to Minors Bascome and asked if the firearm discharged paint or pellets.

He was shown a picture of it and then looked at Crown counsel Shakira Dill and said: ?Why you all telling me it?s a pellet gun??

He looked back at his papers and then to Minors Bascome and said: ?Boy, you?re lucky!?

Mr. Warner told the court there is a vast difference between a weapon that can fire pellets or projectiles and one that can fire paint. Minors Bascome looked relieved and happy when Mr. Warner changed his penalty from nine months in prison to a $500 fine.