An American tourist who came to Bermuda for a brief glimpse of its pink beaches was yesterday beginning a ten-day prison stretch for bringing a gun clip into the Island.

Lori Du-Bell, from Florida, was given the sentence by Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner, who dismissed as "nonsense" her claim that she forgot the 9 mm magazine was in her bag before boarding a plane here from Boston.

The 61-year-old's lawyer Elizabeth Christopher argued vigorously that her client, who has no previous convictions, should be given an absolute discharge because she had no intention of bringing any component parts of a firearm to Bermuda.

"She came to Bermuda for a day to see pink sands and blue water," said Ms Christopher. "I'm sure she regrets it."

Mr. Warner said: "I do not accept this story. Therefore in all the circumstances, it is my view that this calls for an immediate custodial sentence."

Du-Bell, a realtor of 94th Avenue, Naples, landed at L.F. Wade International Airport last Thursday (September 10) for a solo overnight trip during which she planned to stay at Aunt Nea's Inn in St. George's.

Ms Christopher said during the flight here she discovered the clip, which contained bullets for her automatic Glock pistol, in a rarely used compartment of her "fanny pack".

Du-Bell dumped the ammunition in the trash in the toilet of the JetBlue plane but kept the empty clip, not realising it was unlawful to bring it into the Island, her lawyer said.

"As far as she could see it was a useless piece of plastic," said Ms Christopher, adding that her client did not alert airline staff as she did not want the flight to be diverted.

Du-Bell, who was said to have cleared two TSA (Transportation and Security Administration) checkpoints at Fort Lauderdale airport, did not declare the clip on arrival in Bermuda.

Magistrates' Court heard on Monday, when the defendant pleaded guilty to importing the magazine, that it was discovered during a routine search by customs staff. Du-Bell later admitted to Police that the ammunition found on the plane was also hers.

The maximum sentence possible for importing a firearm or its components into Bermuda is five years in jail and/or a $10,000 fine. Crown counsel Kae Thomas-Palacio said it would be contrary to public interest to give Du-Bell a discharge "having regard to the recent escalation of gun violence in Bermuda".

But Ms Christopher said a conviction and jail sentence would have "significant repercussions" for her client, who holds various licences in the US, including one allowing her to own a concealed weapon.

Mr. Warner said Bermuda's laws deemed a magazine to be "just as offensive" as a gun and he did not believe that Du-Bell, whom he described as a woman of good character, did not know it was wrong to import one.

"She imported ammunition and a clip into Bermuda," he said. "Unfortunately, she was not charged with the bullets."

Du-Bell has been in custody since she was arrested a week ago. She was initially held by Police before being transferred to the Co-Ed facility in Ferry Reach after Mr. Warner refused bail on Monday. She celebrated her 61st birthday there on Tuesday and will serve her jail term there.

Ms Christopher said last night: "It's a waste of money. I'm trying to figure out what the point of this entire exercise is, except that we'll probably have less tourists."

She said her client was upset and "cries a lot". "She doesn't have any family. She had a son who died ten years ago and he had a parrot and so that's really what she has left of her family."

Ms Christopher said Du-Bell feared for the parrot when she wasn't able to return home on September 11 — but a friend has since fed the pet.

A TSA spokeswoman told the Naples Daily News yesterday that Du-Bell's case was a "very rare occurrence".

Sari Koshetz said: "Our officers discover and stop prohibited ammunition, clips, and guns every day in bags people bring to checkpoints across the country."