Daniel Peter James found in possession of prohibited weapons
A lawyer for the man said while the items appeared to be dangerous, they were in fact toys or novelty items, some of which had been purchased online.
Police & Courts
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A 39-year-old man has fronted court after being found in possession of multiple dangerous toys.
Daniel Peter James was convicted in Grafton Local Court on Monday of charges including possession of an unauthorised pistol, seven counts of possession or use of a prohibited weapon without a permit and two counts of possessing ammunition without holding a licence.
According to court documents, police found a gel blaster, ammunition, a taser, flick knife, knuckle dusters and a slingshot on James’s property in July 2020.
The court heard James was serving a community corrections order for a domestic violence related matter when he was found in possession of the items, thereby breaching the order.
James’s defence lawyer said that while the items appeared to be dangerous weapons, they were in fact toys or novelty items, some of which had been purchased through an overseas online shopping site.
“The gel blaster, which is incapable of firing anything except gel pellets, was purchased as a toy for his 12-year-old son,” James’s solicitor said.
“The taser is also at a much lower voltage that someone would only get a minor zap.
“My client and a friend would use it on each other as a prank.”
James’s solicitor said the lasers were used as cat toys while the knuckle dusters were made when he was in high school and were kept as a novelty item.
None of the items had ever left James’s property, his solicitor said.
The police prosecutor said James was aware that being in possession of the items could lead to a breach of his community corrections order but chose to keep them anyway.
“While Mr James’ defence tries to say they’re on the lower end of the scale, they are still dangerous weapons,” she said.
“A gel blaster can still seriously injure someone if it hits them in the eye.
“I recommend that Mr James receive full time custody.”
Magistrate Kathy Crittenden sentenced James to a nine month intensive corrections order.
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