Malcolm David Tschirpig in court for possessing nunchuks

An unlucky former fisherman who was busted with modified nunchuks when police went to his home to arrest somebody else has spent the past 154 days in jail.

Malcolm David Tschirpig, 43, appeared at Gympie Magistrates Court by video link to plead guilty to unlawful possession of the restricted item, which were found in his possession during a police search on January 15, 2024 to arrest an associate of his.

A man with an 11-page criminal history has avoided extending his stay in jail over nunchuks he modified to make more “ornamental”.

Malcolm David Tschirpig, 43, appeared at Gympie Magistrates Court by video link to plead guilty to unlawful possession of the restricted item, which were found in his possession during a police search on January 15, 2024 to arrest an associate of his.

Tschirpig told police he was unaware owning them was unlawful, the court heard.

Prosecutor Allison Johnstone told the court the nunchuks were originally a “training set” with plastic handles and had been made illegal after Tschirpig replaced the broken handles with timber ones.

Sergeant Johnstone said Tschirpig was unaware the modification made them unlawful.

Tschirpig’s defence lawyer said her client grew up with an alcoholic and abusive father, and had worked in a variety of jobs including as a building apprentice and commercial fisher.

Malcolm David Tschirpig, 43, appeared at Gympie Magistrates Court by video link to plead guilty to unlawful possession of the restricted item, which were found in his possession during a police search on January 15, 2024 to arrest an associate of his.

He started using meth as a teenager, the court heard.

The police had previously taken the nunchuks, the court was told.

Upon their return Tschirpig found the plastic handles broken and so replaced them with wood to be “ornamental”.

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Magistrate Michael Bice accepted Tschirpig’s plea, and said this offending was “not as serious” as previous crimes on his record.

The specifics of those offences were not mentioned in court.

As Tschirpig was on parole at the time the weapon was found, he was returned to custody and had already spent 154 days behind bars.

“Both parties agree … I convict you and not further punish,” Mr Bice said, noting this time as declared.