Robert Blanch charged with Ballina firearm supply

A North Coast man allegedly supplied a rifle to a man targeted in a drive-by shooting which left a bullet buried in a child’s bedroom wall, a court has heard.

A North Coast man allegedly received cash and drugs after police allege he supplied a firearm to a man targeted in a drive-by shooting, a court has heard.

On April 10, police began investigating a drive-by shooting at Brunswick St, Ballina after a home was sprayed with seven bullets.

One bullet embedded in an internal wall above a child’s head, with another four hitting the home’s exterior, though no-one was injured in the incident.

The matter was then being investigated as a case of mistaken identity – but now a man is accused of supplying an illegal firearm to a man now thought to have been the intended target.

Robert Blanch has been in custody on remand at Clarence Correctional Centre since his arrest on June 7.

The Ballina man is accused of supplying a .303 calibre rifle with a telescopic sight to the man allegedly targeted in the drive-by.

He applied for bail in the NSW Supreme Court before Justice Peter Garling, where an Aboriginal Legal Service solicitor said Blanch was struggling with drug addiction and mental health concerns at the time the alleged offences occurred.

Brunswick St in Ballina. Picture: Google Maps

“It is a matter of sheer happenstance, and good fortune, that no-one was injured,” Justice Garling said.

The court heard Blanch allegedly made certain admissions to police in a recorded interview after his arrest.

“Police established the applicant (Blanch) and the intended target of the shooting were in contact with each other in relation to the supply of a .303 rifle,” Justice Garling said.

“After he was arrested the applicant participated in an interview where he made admissions to the obtaining of an unlawful or illegal weapon and the supplying of it to the person who police contend was the intended victim of the drive-by shooting.”

Justice Garling said police will allege these admissions are corroborated by various text messages obtained from Blanch’s phone and the apparent intended target.

Blanch’s solicitor said his client could abide by home detention-style bail conditions and that he did not pose a risk of fleeing the jurisdiction but Justice Garling was not persuaded by the application and refused Blanch’s bail.

The coastal town of Ballina in northern NSW. Picture: Jay Cronan

The Ballina man is yet to enter a plea to the charge.

Queensland man Mark David Nugent was extradited from Mackay to Lismore and charged with firing a firearm at a home, firing a firearm in a manner likely to injure a person or property, and possessing a loaded firearm in a public place in relation to the drive-by shooting.

He has further been charged with not keeping a firearm safely, using an unauthorised prohibited firearm, possessing an unauthorised prohibited firearm, receiving stolen property outside NSW worth more than $15,000, and participating in a criminal group.

Police will allege Nugent attended the Brunswick St premises shortly before the shooting occurred.

Nugent has not entered a plea to the charges and remains behind bars on remand ahead of his next appearance at Lismore Local Court on October 11.

Investigators also recovered a blue Ford Falcon which had been previously reported as stolen, following an appeal by police investigating whether it was used in the shooting.