disbelief as Pusine Judge the Hon. Mrs. Justice Wade sent him to jail for 11 years for possessing a nine-millimetre handgun.

Before the sentence was passed -- the maximum penalty is 15 years -- Jamaican-born Francis, 27, pleaded for mercy.

"I am sincerely sorry,'' he said, "and I ask the court to be as lenient as possible with me.'' But Mrs. Justice Wade said although Francis was youthful and had a clean record, his own version of the events that led to his conviction were serious enough to warrant the 11-year penalty.

Francis told the court at his trial that he knew the gun would be used to aid the bank robbery. After the bank had been robbed, he went to collect the $4,000 payment for its use and hid the weapon on Spice Hill Road.

Che Pennyman had used the handgun to rob the Southampton Princess branch of the Bank of Butterfield last year.

He is currently serving 12 years in jail for that offence. Pennyman had testified that he robbed the bank using Francis' gun. He also said that on the afternoon of the robbery Francis rode the getaway vehicle.

Despite more than five hours of deliberation a Supreme Court jury was unable to agree on whether or not Francis robbed the bank. However they found him guilty of possessing the handgun.

Earlier, Crown counsel Mr. Khamisi Tokunbo urged Mrs. Justice Wade to send a message to Francis and society that handguns will not be tolerated.

"Firearms are deadly and we are in the midst of growing violence in the community,'' he said. "This offence is particularly aggravating because this firearm was loaded and used in a robbery.'' Lawyer Mr. Archie Warner argued in favour of a lesser sentence for Francis.

"This is not the type of offence or the type of offender that requires a deterrent sentence to be passed,'' he said.

Mrs. Justice Wade responded: "There is one thing I have learned. If you make your bed hard you must lie in it.'' She then sent Francis to prison for 11 years.