Hamilton: Jamie Lucas Priestley, 47, pleads guilty to possessing a replica gun, cannabis and stolen credit cards

A man has been released back into the community after immediately admitting he was hiding a replica handgun and some drugs in a bag after being arrested rummaging through some letter boxes.

An imitation pistol seized by police after they searched Jamie Marcus Priestly in Hamilton on February 5, 2025. Picture: NSW Police.

A man has found himself back on the street just a day after he was found hiding a replica handgun, some drugs and stolen credit cards in a backpack - and all because he admitted to his crimes.

Jamie Lucas Priestley, 47, was handed a nine-month intensive correction order when he made the rare decision to plead guilty at his first appearance and place his immediate into the hands of a magistrate.

Priestley had been arrested on Lawson St at Hamilton on Wednesday afternoon, after an increased police presence on the suburb’s famous Beaumont St allowed plain-clothed officers to see the bike rider rummaging through a letter box.

When they caught up with him about 3pm, he was arrested and searched, with police finding the imitation gun, 1.2g of cannabis, and several stolen bank cards.

Priestley was taken to Newcastle police station where he was charged with larceny, possessing an unauthorised pistol, possessing a prohibited drug, and having goods in personal custody suspected of being stolen.

Jamie Lucas Priestley, 47, was sentenced to a nine-month intensive correction order when he faced Newcastle Local Court on Thursday.

He was refused bail to appear before Newcastle Local Court on Thursday, where Priestley immediately pleaded guilty and asked to be sentenced.

Priestley also asked magistrate Christopher Longley to take a further charge of goods in custody from 2023, and one count of dishonestly obtain property by deception from last year, into account on sentence.

Mr Longley sentenced Priestley to five months’ jail for the gun, four months for this year’s goods in custody charge, and three months each for the 2023 goods in custody charge and the larceny charge.

The magistrate determined an indicative aggregate terms of nine months in jail before ordering Priestley serve the sentence as an intensive correction order in the community.