Police stumble on mass weapons stockpiled in former guard’s shed
WHEN police arrived at former prison guard Michael Kay’s north-west Sydney home to issue him with a firearms prohibition order, little did they expect to find a massive cache of weapons. But it’s what they allege he was going to do with them that is chilling.
NSW
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A MASSIVE high-powered weapons arsenal that police fear may have been stockpiled for a potential mass-shooting has been seized from the home of an “extreme-risk” target.
Michael Kay, a 64-year-old former prison guard and jail tactical response team member who was banned from owning a gun nine years ago, had amassed an armoury of 213 weapons, including semiautomatic guns, knives, swords and 2000 rounds of ammunition.
MORE FROM AVA BENNY-MORRISON
THE SNITCH: HORROR FIND INSIDE MEDIA IDENTITY’S HOME
STANDOVER MAN WHO ‘RAN EASTERN SUBURBS’ BACK IN TROUBLE
He also had a stack of alarming literature, including a number of sniper training manuals, and clothes branded with anti-Islamic sentiments and embroidered “doomsday” patches.
Police who arrived at Kay’s home in Richmond, in Sydney’s north west, during a routine firearms prohibition order search were caught off-guard by the size of the military-grade arsenal they found in his backyard shed.
Among the weapons were several military-grade rifles including an SKS automatic, handguns including a .357 Magnum revolver with a shortened barrel and a 9mm Luger, thousands of rounds of ammunition, three crossbows with more than 100 arrows, knives, tomahawks and swords.
His books covered topics such as military tactics, counter-terrorism operations, and one interviewing the world’s best snipers sharing tips on how to pick the perfect vantage points.
Drugs and Firearms Squad officers said the case was unlike anything they had come across before and they feared Kay may have been planning a mass shooting.
Australian Border Force officers tipped off police two weeks ago after Kay made about 100 transactions online over a short period, some of which involved buying bulletproof clothing and gun parts.
The State Intelligence Command generated a profile of Kay, who had been a member of the prison tactical Immediate Action Team responsible for breaking up jail riots and other outbreaks of extreme violence, before leaving Corrective Services in 2010.
What emerged was a man with a history of mental health issues and an obsession with weapons.
Investigators said they could only judge the threat based on the evidence they found, however they feared what Kay may have been planning.
State Crime Commander Acting Assistant Commissioner Stuart Smith said: “This case had all the hallmarks of a significant threat.
“What we found at the premises was a disturbing individual who had a cache of tactical weapons and 50 times the ammunition required of a sports shooter, and concerning literature.
“We formed the view that he posed a significant threat to the community.
“As we were itemising the exhibits, we realised the potential of what was in that yard.
“It requires specialised training and expert skill to use military-grade weaponry — we are aware of the significance of this seizure.
“We are cognisant of the events overseas in recent years and we know Australia isn’t immune, so it’s our job to mitigate those risks.”
Kay, who was once a keen sports shooter, had his firearms licence revoked in 2009 over mental health issues. At the time, police seized 32 firearms, most of which were kept at a gun club.
Since then he has faced court twice on firearm-related charges but on both occasions he escaped penalty on mental health grounds.
Investigators are now poring over Kay’s history and analysing his computer to ascertain what he was planning, given he hadn’t been sports shooting since he lost his gun licence.
When a team of tactical police officers arrested Kay on the street outside his home on Tuesday morning he was carrying five knives.
Inside his back shed they found an SKS Norinco semiautomatic rifle with bullet belts for rapid succession firing, five bolt-action rifles, more than 100 knives and swords, three crossbows and bulletproof vests. A bag with five handguns was found stashed under a stairwell on the property by tradesmen building a granny flat for Kay’s mother. There is no suggestion she knew about her son’s weapons.
Det Supt Smith said: “These weapons are not available in Australia and that’s part of the problem.
“He amassed such a huge cache of weapons you can only interpret what you find and be concerned by that.”
After his arrest, Kay appeared calm but was later admitted to hospital, where he has remained since receiving treatment for mental health issues.
Police expect to charge him when he is released.
Kay spent 30 years working at jails around Sydney, including with the tactical Immediate Action Team at Parklea jail and John Morony Correctional Centre near Windsor.
He was embroiled in a battle with Corrective Services in the early 2000s, accusing his former managers of encouraging him to resign after he was diagnosed with a psychiatric illness.