A former police officer will be sentenced next year after he admitted holding a food delivery driver hostage with a fake handgun.

Sam Fraser-Smith, 43, pleaded guilty in Magistrates’ Court yesterday to depriving Romone Reid of his liberty.

The court heard that Mr Reid, a driver for the Sargasso Sea delivery service, visited the home of Mike Epps in Hamilton Parish.

He told Mr Epps that he was there to deliver food, but Mr Epps said that no one in the house had ordered a takeaway.

Fraser-Smith, Mr Epps’s stepson who lives next door, approached the two and confronted Mr Reid “in an aggressive manner”.

He brandished what looked like a firearm, ordered Mr Reid not to move and demanded to see identification.

Mr Reid showed him his Sargasso Sea ID and his driver’s licence after Fraser-Smith demanded more identification.

Fraser-Smith appeared to be recording the incident with his phone in one hand and held a replica firearm in the other.

He told Mr Reid to take his ID and leave.

Mr Reid later told his supervisor about the incident, who contacted police.

Officers arrested Fraser-Smith later that day and he told them that he had a licence for the imitation firearm.

When told he would be charged in connection with the incident, Fraser-Smith said: “Respectfully, no.”

The offence happened on October 28 last year.

Fraser-Smith was charged last December with the use of a firearm, threatening behaviour as well as deprivation of liberty.

He pleaded not guilty to all the charges, but admitted the deprivation of liberty offence on the day the trial started and the Crown chose to offer no evidence on the other charges.

Fraser-Smith’s wife, Sarutanna, 39, was charged with threatening behaviour, deprivation of liberty and use of a knife as a weapon.

She denied all the charges and the Crown offered no evidence.

Victoria Greening, for the defence, said that she disputed “certain facts of the deprivation of liberty” but did not elaborate.

Fraser-Smith also apologised to Mr Reid.

Magistrate Auralee Cassidy ordered a social inquiry report on Fraser-Smith and adjourned the case until February 3.

• It is The Royal Gazette’s policy not to allow comments on stories regarding court cases. As we are legally liable for any libellous or defamatory comments made on our website, this move is for our protection as well as that of our readers.