A Court Street drug dealer armed with a loaded gun while in possession of approximately $64,000 cocaine and cannabis with intent to supply was sentenced to ten years in prison yesterday.

Allan William Daniels, 26, of Brooklyn Lane, Pembroke had been found not guilty of the attempted murder of a Police officer by a Supreme Court jury in May of this year.

During his trial, Daniels had denied trying to kill Det. Con Warren Dundy after he allegedly pulled a Ruger 9 mm semi-automatic hand gun on Court Street at around 7 a.m. on February 12, 2004 while resisting arrest.

But the jury found Daniels guilty of multiple counts ? possession of a firearm, possession of ammunition without a licence, possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply and possession of drug equipment.

The defendant appeared in Supreme Court yesterday before Justice Ian Kawaley, who heard that he has launched an appeal regarding his case.

Daniels, represented by lawyer Llewellyn Peniston maintained that the weapon "was acquired immediately prior to his arrest, as an action in his mind wholly directed toward assisting in the avoidance of its acquisition and unlawful use by an agitated group of young people".

But Crown Counsel Wayne Caines said Daniels has committed very serious offences.

"The defendant had a loaded firearm whilst peddling cocaine and marijuana," he said. "Our community must be protected and a strong message must be sent that these offences will not be tolerated by right thinking people.

"He had bullets and was not holding the gun for an abstract purpose ? this violence has to be stopped."

Daniels claimed that he bought the gun for $250 in a bid to prevent it falling into the hands of youths and it had fallen out of his pocket at the time of his arrest.

Before Daniels was sentenced yesterday, Mr Peniston said: "The difficulty of entertaining submissions from the Prosecution for lengthy sentences in these types of matters, particularly young people with no like history, is that it firmly shuts the door by way of disincentives toward rehabilitation of young offenders.

"To take an alternative approach is tantamount to writing off a future generation in our small community."

Before being sentenced, Daniels said: "It is unfortunate that I stand here and have been found guilty. I will try my best and fight hard to be a better person and try to help myself.

"An appeal is going, I spoke the truth from the beginning, the Police were in a position of trust but they were lying through their teeth but what is done is done and I will make the most of my position."

Justice Kawaley sentenced Daniels to ten years in custody for possession of a firearm, ten years for possessing ammunition without a licence, two years for possession of seven twists of a cocaine on Court Street, and five years for possession of cocaine on Glebe Road and a further two years for possession of cannabis on Glebe Road.

He was also sentenced to one year for possession of drug equipment and five years for possession of cocaine with intent to supply.

All the sentences are to run concurrent with each other.