A MAGISTRATE has lauded the prospects of a young Mildura man as "the big hope" despite a home-made firearm capable of firing .22 cartridge ammunition being found under his mattress.

The Mildura Magistrates' Court heard the firearm, made with a modified caulking gun, was located in the bungalow at the rear of a Logan Avenue address where 19-year-old Jerome Frost-Brandy had be