Paul Joseph Edwards pleads guilty to possessing a silencer

A Gympie forklift business owner has faced court after his former partner found a category R weapon in her kitchen pantry.

A Chatsworth forklift business owner has pleaded guilty to the possession of an $800 silencer in court on Monday, May 29, 2023.

A well-regarded businessman has faced court, armed with a character reference from a mayor, after a weapon he purchased at a swap meet was found under a fly trap.

Chatsworth forklift business owner Paul Joseph Edwards, 44, pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a category R weapon in Gympie Magistrates Court on May 29.

Police prosecutor Melissa Campbell said Edwards told police he purchased the silencer for “around $800” cash at a Gympie swap meet.

She told the court he could not recall the purchase date or the vendor.

The silencer was handed to police by Edwards’ former partner on February 17, 2023 after she found it on the top of her kitchen pantry in a fly trap, the court heard.

Paul Joseph Edwards leaves Gympie Magistrates Court after pleading guilty to charges of unlawful weapon possession. May 29, 2023.

“He further stated he is aware the weapon was illegal to own in Queensland and that it was a restricted weapon and he didn’t have any reason for owning it,” Ms Campbell said.

He had bought it to eradicate rabbits from the property next to him and put in the fly trap for safekeeping, the court heard.

Defence solicitor Chris Anderson said Edwards was “well thought of by his peers” and at a low risk of reoffending.

Edwards handed a character reference from Gympie Regional Council Mayor Glen Hartwig to acting magistrate Raelene Ellis.

A silencer, while simply a component of a weapon, is classified under Queensland law as a category R weapon, which includes hand grenades, rocket launches and machine guns.

He was fined $350 with the property forfeited to the crown.

No conviction was recorded.