Judge demands more details on guns in ‘one of most violent cities in country’

An Ontario Court judge put the Brant Crown’s office on notice that she wants more details about gun cases in “one of the most violent cities in the country.”

“Spread the word around,” Justice Colette Good instructed assistant Crown attorney Cameron Rogers.

“These cases are of important interest to our community,” Good said, “I’m not going to let you guys gloss over the facts and leave huge gaping holes.”

Good felt there were details missing in the facts presented about the 2020 arrest of Ryan Michael Forbes, 26, who had three long guns stacked behind his washer and dryer despite a court order not to own weapons.

The judge ordered a break in the sentencing of Forbes in order for Rogers to find whether the guns had trigger-locks, whether they were loaded and if there was a child in the home.

Rogers was able to return to court with photos of the two shotguns and a hunting rifle in their hiding place without trigger-guards, telling the judge there was only a spent cartridge in one firearm and that a young child was in the house at times.

“I think your office is dropping the ball on those cases if it’s not asking for that information,” said Good, adding that she had expressed the same concerns previously.

“We have 20 murder (cases) outstanding around here .. maybe 23, I want the public to know this court is being handcuffed in terms of facts it receives.”

Starting in 2018, Brantford has seen a rash of gun-related homicides, injuries and robberies resulting in dozens of arrests.

Forbes, the man with the hidden guns, pleaded guilty to assault, obstructing police, possession of weapons contrary to an order, possession of unauthorized weapons, careless storage of firearms and driving while under suspension.

The guns were brought to the attention of police after Forbes posted an intimidating photo of himself with a shotgun on social media.

“When I look at this record,” Good told Forbes, “I would say your criminal conduct is escalating and you are now in the deep end of the pool. The crimes you’re committing are much more serious but you’re still a young man and I hope you’ll be able to turn your life around.”

She noted Forbes has always been able to find work, appears to be family-oriented and was being sentenced to jail for the first time.

But, she said, when a person has firearms after being ordered not to have weapons, it’s natural to infer they are for a notorious purpose.

“If this wasn’t a joint submission and if the Crown asked me to sentence you to the penitentiary, without hesitation, I would do that because guns are a grave concern for this community that’s been wracked by gun violence.

“It’s high time that when the court sentences individuals, it sends the message that if you’re going to possess weapons in this community, you’re going to spend a long time in jail.”

Despite that, Good said she was required to agree with the sentence reached by the lawyers of the equivalent of 18 months in jail to be followed by 18 months of probation.

Forbes’ convictions relates to crimes committed in the first part of 2020. While he was awaiting trial on those charges, he and two other men were arrested as part of a major drug investigation by Brantford Police and several other police services.

In November 2022, Project Menace found about $1.2 million in cocaine, fentanyl and methamphetamine, three loaded guns and a large quantity of currency after raiding six or seven local addresses.

That case continues to proceed through the courts.

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