Benjamin Nakia Paul Hewson, 43, jailed in Casino Local Court for weapons, cannabis possession following Glock pistol bust

A Northern Rivers man jailed after being busted with nunchucks, a crossbow, gun parts, a gel blaster and more than 600g of cannabis was previously caught with a loaded Glock pistol while in a stolen car, a court heard.

A Glock pistol. Picture: iStock.

A Northern Rivers man jailed after being caught with nunchucks, a crossbow, gun parts, a gel blaster and more than 600g of cannabis was previously convicted of carrying a loaded Glock pistol while travelling in a stolen car.

On Thursday, Dorroughby man Benjamin Nakia Paul Hewson pleaded guilty at Casino Local Court to possessing an unauthorised firearm and acquiring a firearm part without authorisation.

The 43-year-old also pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing a prohibited weapon without a permit and one count each of possessing a prohibited plant, possessing a prohibited drug and possessing an unregistered firearm.

Hewson, convicted of the prior offending, was deemed unfit to have access to guns and was on bail at the time of offending, police state in court documents.

Hewson was deemed to be unfit to have access to firearms, the court was told. Picture: File

NSW Police State Crime Command’s Drug and Firearms Squad officers, alongside the Lismore Proactive Crime Team, went to Hewson’s house for a bail compliance check about 7am on October 26, 2022.

Officers found an MP4 style gel blaster by a door and a crime scene was established.

Hewson was arrested and taken to Lismore Police Station, where he told officers he bought the blaster online off eBay a few years ago and did not know it was illegal.

Some states and territories do allow the purchase and possession of gel blasters.

In a shed on Hewson’s property, police discovered 687 grams of dried cannabis and 19 small plants, according to the documents.

Firearm parts found included a barrel, bolt, laser pointer and a magazine, while officers also uncovered nunchucks and a crossbow.

Hewson was found with almost 20 cannabis plants and more than 600 grams of dried plant matter. The drug is only legal for prescribed medicinal use.

Hewson told police the cannabis was for personal use.

It comes after police found Hewson with the Glock pistol, which was not permitted, in the vehicle at Coraki on September 2022, documents state.

Defence lawyer Sally McPherson told the court Hewson only had a gel blaster this time around – not a “real” gun.

Ms McPherson said her client had “a history of trauma” and was “willing to go to therapy”.

“I understand his history does not assist, with a ‘cultivate’ matter on his criminal record,” she said.

Magistrate Roger Prowse said Hewson pleaded guilty at an early stage and had already completed a rehabilitation program, which would lead to a reduced sentence.

But he said weapons like the crossbow could be “deadly” and Hewson had “two intensive corrections orders before” and still had not “ceased offending”.

Hewson was sentenced to two years and six months in prison, with a non-parole period of one-and-a-half years. He was also slapped with a $1700 fine.

Hewson was handcuffed and escorted away by sheriffs and police officers.