Mechanic and truck driver land hefty fines for drug and weapons possession

A North Queensland mechanic has been handed a hefty fine after major and organised crime police raided his property, seizing drugs and a collection of weapons.

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A LOCAL mechanic and truck driver have been dealt hefty fines after police from the major and organised crime squad raided an Oonoonba property and charged the two men.

William Brett Clarke, 64, and Bruce Wayne Hurst, 61, faced the Townsville Magistrates Court on Monday and pleaded guilty to a string of serious charges.

The court heard police on January 16 executed a search warrant and seized a number of rifles and shotguns from Hurst’s garage that had been used by Clarke for commercial fishing, including shooting sharks and crocodiles.

Clarke pleaded guilty to five charges: unlawful possession of a category A air rifle, category C semi-automatic rimfire rifle, category D semi-automatic centre-fire rifle, explosives while not authorised to do so, and unlawfully possessing 74 grams of cannabis.

William Brett Clarke (left) and Bruce Wayne Hurst pleaded guilty to a string of charges in the Townsville Magistrates Court on May 10, 2021.

Hurst pleaded guilty to six charges: possessing 229 grams of cannabis, unlawfully possessing a restricted drug Viagra, receiving tainted property and unlawfully possessing a category A double barrel brake action shotgun that had been shortened, category D lever action centre fire rifle and bolt action repeating rifle and lever action shotgun.

He was also charged with possessing 80 individual fireworks and 1000 rounds of ammunition.

Police prosecutor Anita Page said the Adler shotgun found in Hurst’s possession had been stolen in a burglary at Aitkenvale.

The court heard Hurst was renting his garage space to Clarke who looked after his property when he was away for work for up to five weeks at a time.

The pair’s lawyer, Claire Grant, said all of the seized weapons were primarily inoperable and old and had been used by Clarke, a former commercial fisherman, to shoot sharks and crocodiles while out on the water.

Ms Grant said the weapons had been stored in the garage with a number of other items for many years and Clarke had “forgotten they were there”.

Ms Page said the risk to the community was high if any of the weapons had been accessed as they were not stored correctly.

The court heard Clarke had a five-page criminal history and was sentenced to five years’ jail in 2013 for drug trafficking and other offences including possessing weapons.

Ms Grant said Clarke was now self-employed as a local car mechanic at Clarke’s Automotive which he had operated for five years.

The court heard Hurst, a truck driver for Searle’s Transport Collinsville, had 229 grams of cannabis in his possession for personal use.

Ms Grant disputed Ms Page’s argument that terms of imprisonment were necessary, instead arguing fines were in range.

Magistrate Kenneth Taylor said Clarke was “causing some concern” with his continued offending.

Mr Taylor fined Clarke a total of $3000 for the five offences, which was referred to SPER.

Convictions were recorded.

Hurst was fined a total of $2950, referred to SPER.

Convictions were recorded.

Originally published as Mechanic and truck driver land hefty fines for drug and weapons possession