Police’s dangerous discovery in man’s bedroom cupboard

IN COURT: Police seized dangerous weapons that had serial numbers removed, during a local drug raid

Gatton Magistrates Court, generic court.

WHEN police raided a Coominya man’s home, they discovered a vast collection of weapons, some of which were illegally possessed including one that had its serial number scrubbed out.

Wayne Sharpe pleaded guilty to four charges in the Gatton Magistrates Court on Monday, November 30, after police conducted a search of his home earlier in the month.

The charges were possessing unregistered firearms, failing to keep weapons in secured storage facilities, unlawfully possessing cannabis and unlawful possession of a water pipe used in connection with smoking a dangerous drug.

Police prosecutor senior Sergeant Al Windsor said Sharpe was a licenced weapons holder authorised to have category A and B weapons with 23 firearms registered to his possession.

But, when police searched Sharpe’s home for drugs on November 6, they found two firearms that were not registered as well as Sharpe’s gun safe unlocked and open leaving anyone able to gain access.

The unregistered firearms were a category B Winchester .22 caliber rifle and a category B .303 caliber rifle.

Sergeant Windsor told the court the serial number on the Winchester had been removed, and Sharpe told police he had got the weapon from an unidentified person.

During the search of Sharpe’s property, detectives also conducted an audit of the 57-year-olds gun safe which found one of the registered firearms was not inside.

Sergeant Windsor said the detectives located the missing category A lever action shotgun along with five rounds of ammunition in a bedroom cupboard.

In the cupboard too they discovered 10 grams of cannabis, in addition to a ceramic water pipe used to smoke the dangerous drug.

Sharpe’s solicitor said his client had an interest in restoring firearms as a hobby after he was made redundant from his job at Hy-tec Concrete in Coominya last year.

He said Sharpe was of the understanding he could restore and recondition his friend’s firearms without breaking the law, but now understood that was not the case.

He told Magistrate Graham Lee his client had co-operated at all times with the police, and freely admitted to police his ownership of the items that were seized.

He also told the court Sharpe was registered for the medicinal cannabis program to assist with his medical conditions.

The Magistrate handed down a global fine of $800 referred to SPER.

No conviction was recorded.

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