Danny Kuhar gets community corrections order for role in gun thefts

He broke into a gun safe in suburbia, then robbed a post office in the middle of the night, loading loot into garbage bins. Here’s how the court dealt with him.

Danny Kuhar at Geelong Magistrates Court. Positively identified by Satria. No byline

A Geelong man who stole weapons from a safe in Newtown, before stealing a number of items from shops in North Geelong had been “manipulated” to take part in the offending, a court has heard.

Danny Kuhar, 52, pleaded guilty in the County Court to burglary, theft of a firearm, theft and criminal damage and was sentenced on Thursday to a community corrections order for two years.

On November 12, 2022, Kuhar and his co-accused Jason Ryan, 43. made their way to the rear shed of a home in Newtown, which contained a secured gun safe.

Inside the shed, the accused located and managed to open the locked safe before leaving the area just before 2am.

About two hours later at 3.45am, Ryan and Kuhar parked their car at a strip of shops on the

corner of Thompson Rd and Separation St in Bell Park.

Using a crowbar they had stolen from the Newton address, they forced entry through the rear door and entered Australia Post and Shyne Dental.

After damaging the dental shop, they loaded a large amount of stock, equipment and cash from the clinic into two large garbage bins that they had taken from outside.

The duo also made their way through the Australia Post store and loaded a number of items, including post packages, a hard drive and a number of retail items, into the bins before leaving the area.

The duo were arrested on November 18, 2022.

Judge Pardeep Tiwana said the offending was planned and committed in company.

“Burglaries in particular involving dwellings instil fear and terror in the occupants,” Judge Tiwana said.

“Burglaries at commercial premises cause disruption to business owners who work hard to make a living,” he said.

The court heard Kuhar was “manipulated and got embroiled” in the offending as a result of his association with Ryan.

The court heard Ryan had a significant criminal history and that he was jailed for four years, as a result of similar offending across two separate indictments.

Kuhar was sentenced to a community corrections order for two years as a result of his limited criminal history.

“I hope you give some serious reflection as far as your future is concerned,” Judge Tiwana said.

Originally published as Danny Kuhar gets community corrections order for role in gun thefts