Matthew James Brady, 39, jailed until at least 2027 for illegal guns, bomb-making stash

A father of five busted with a significant number of guns and bomb-making material has learnt his fate in court.

Matthew Brady pleaded guilty to a massive weapons haul. Photo: ABF

A father of five busted by border force officers and SA Police with a significant number of guns and bomb-making material has been jailed for half a decade.

On Tuesday, Matthew James Brady learned his fate in the South Australian District Court after pleading guilty to 13 charges relating to firearms, ammunition, dangerous articles and other weapons.

The court previously heard Brady, 39 of Port Pirie, was arrested after SA Police and the Australian Border Force uncovered the weapons and prohibited items after a search warrant was executed at Brady’s workplace and Roxby Downs home on February 28.

Brady begged the court not to jail him, despite a prosecutor claiming he has a “very dangerous and fanatical” obsession with firearms and warfare.

Among the items seized were 15 long arm firearms, six hand guns, a sawn off shotgun, ballistic body armour, silencers, gel blasters, material used to make pipe bombs, a pistol grip crossbow, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, knives and handheld stun guns.

In sentencing, Auxiliary Judge Gordon Barrett said Brady had been sentenced for unlawfully possessing a firearm before, but that wasn’t enough to deter his fascination with the weapons.

Matthew Brady pleaded guilty to a massive weapons haul. Photo: Facebook

He said he got the guns from a friend. Photo: Facebook

“On 18 January 2006, I sentenced you for possessing a prescribed firearm while not licenced and failing to keep the firearm secured. Those offences were committed by you on 4 July 2005,” Judge Barrett said.

He said that Brady was given a six month suspended sentence and ordered to enter into a two-year bond. He was also disqualified from obtaining a firearms license, however he later applied for one in 2013.

“That application was refused. It was then quite plain to you that it would be unlawful for you to be in possession of firearms after that.”

The court heard Brady had claimed the guns found in March 2023 weren’t his – he had just been looking after them for a friend.

“You told the police, and it has been put on your behalf in court, that many of the firearms were left with you by a friend called Ben, whose surname you could not remember. He left them with you some four years ago,” Judge Barrett said.

“You say that you met Ben some years ago when your life went off the rails. Some eight years ago you separated from your wife in Whyalla and there was a period when you were taking drugs. That is when you met Ben.

An extensive knife collection belonging to Brady. Picture: ABF

Hundreds of rounds of ammunition were found along with the weapons. Picture: ABF

“I do not necessarily accept that you were merely looking after the firearms that were left with you. Other factors point to your having what I describe as a worrying interest in firearms and weapons.

He said the 39-year-old had maintained employment as a scaffolder, and has a good relationship with his family, but knowingly illegally possessing firearms was too serious an offence to spare him jail.

“Counts 1 and 8 carry maximum penalties of 15 years. Counts 6 and 9 and the alternative to count 7 carry maximum penalties of 10 years. Count 5 carries a maximum of seven. There are four offences which carry a maximum four years, two which carry a maximum of two and one which carries a maximum of 18 months imprisonment. You are entitled to a discount of up to 15% on all but one of the offences,” he said.

He sentenced Brady to five years and three months imprisonment, with a non-parole period of three years and six months.

“In my view, the offending is too serious for the sentence to be suspended. This was a substantial quantity of unlawfully possessed firearms and weapons and it is quite clear from your previous conviction and your failed attempt to obtain a licence that you were well aware that possession of these items was unlawful.”

Brady will be eligible for release in July 2027.

Some of the 15 long-arm firearms that were seized. Picture: ABF

A sawn-off shotgun and pistol found during the raids. Picture: ABF