A man who is serving a conditional sentence for gun trafficking will now serve jail time.
Brett Shepherd was arrested on Aug. 25, 2021, and charged with nine offences, including firearms trafficking, possession for the purpose of trafficking and unauthorized possession.
Shepherd had a restricted possession acquisition license (R-PAL) which allowed him to buy and possess restricted firearms, but not transfer them to others without an R-PAL.
According to court documents, Shepherd and another man went to a licenced Edmonton gun store on three different occasions in 2019 and 2020.
Each time Shepherd bought a handgun and subsequently gave them to the other man.
The man was arrested at a strip mall on Feb. 21, 2020, with one of the guns in his possession.
The documents show the serial number on the gun had been obscured but police were able to restore it and trace it back to Shepherd.
He was arrested and confessed to transferring four guns to the other man, documents show.
Shepherd pleaded guilty to one count of trafficking firearms and received a conditional sentence of two years less a day which included house arrest.
The Crown appealed the sentence calling it disproportionate to the gravity of the offence.
In a decision signed April 17, the Alberta Court of Appeal sided with the Crown and ordered Shepherd to report to the Edmonton Remand Centre by April 25.
“In our view, a conditional sentence is not appropriate in the circumstances of this case,” the appeal document says.
“Although a sentence of two years less a day is very low for this type of offence, we would not alter the length of the sentence. The sentence is varied to two years less a day of incarceration.”
Shepherd will be given credit for time served on the conditional sentence.
