Bellingen man Joshua Maher in Coffs court on cannabis and firearm charges

‘This man has saved more animals than David Attenborough your honour,’ his lawyer said when his client appeared on a weapons charge.

Joshua Maher

A man described as an “environmental warrior” by his lawyer in Coffs Harbour Local Court on Monday was caught out by the NSW Police cannabis eradication team when they swept through the region recently.

And “they clearly had bigger fish to fry in the Bellinger Valley” his lawyer Scott James added, in relation to the one cannabis plant they found at his client’s home.

Joshua John Maher appeared before Magistrate Ian Rodgers and pleaded guilty to cultivating a prohibited plant (less than a small quantity).

The court heard the plant was approximately 1.5metres tall.

But it was a replica weapon, also located at the property, which led to what Mr Rodgers described as the much more serious charge of possessing an unregistered firearm-prohibited firearm.

Maher’s lawyer told the court his client purchased the replica in Queensland “and was told incorrectly it was lawful and that he could bring it back to NSW.”

He was under the mistaken belief that it was a lawful item and he purchased the black gel blaster firearm with the intention of engaging in a sporting activity, Mr James told the court.

“Now he knows it’s wrong he has very clear remorse,” Mr James said.

While the police prosecutor told the court the gun, along with a glass of gel balls, was found out in the open with “no regard to public safety” Mr James said this just showed his client believed the item to be lawful.

Mr Rodgers accepted Maher had “no violent intent at all” and that he is clearly well respected in the community “for the work he does protecting native animals”.

But, he added: “it is the obligation of all of us to understand the laws of the state we live in” and while he was willing to not record a conviction for the charge of cultivating a prohibited plant he would not do the same for the weapons charge.

For cultivating a prohibited plant Maher pleaded guilty but without proceeding to conviction the matter was dismissed.

A plea of guilty was accepted for the charge of possessing an unregistered firearm-prohibited firearm and he was ordered to pay a fine of $1000.