Northern NSW man Bryce Tupling, 52, sentenced in Tweed court for drug, weapon offending

A Northern Rivers disability support worker has learnt his fate over a string of serious drug and weapon offences after his arrest while on shift with a special needs client. Read the latest.

Bryce Tupling, 52, outside Tweed Heads Court House. Picture: Sam Stolz

A Tweed disability support worker has learnt his fate over a string of serious drug and weapon crimes after his arrest while on shift with a special needs client.

Hit with an array of charges, Bryce Tupling pleaded guilty at Tweed Heads Local Court to possessing or using an illegal weapon without permit and having an amount of (drug) precursor prescribed by regulations.

The 52-year-old also pleaded guilty to four counts of having a prohibited drug, as well as not safety storing a gun, possessing an unregistered pistol – and taking part in the manufacturing of a prohibited drug, court documents show.

Tweed Heads Court House. Picture: File

Magistrate Geoff Dunlevy has sentenced Tupling to a one-year and six month intensive correction order. Convictions were recorded.

Tupling remained in the community and was ordered to complete 100 hours of community service work. He was also fined $600 for possessing drugs.

A charge of manufacturing a small quantity of drugs, dimethyltryptamine (DMT), was earlier withdrawn and dismissed.

Police intercepted messages between Tupling and a co-accused in October 2022.

Tupling used “veiled” terminology when he spoke about meth, according to police. Terms such as ‘G’ (gram) and ‘HB’ (half-ball or 1.75g) were used.

Officers descended on Tupling’s Enid St, Tweed Heads home as part of Northern Rivers Region Enforcement Squad operation Strike Force Lenane on February 7 last year.

Tupling was with a “non-verbal high needs client that was sleeping no more than 10m away”, police state.

Officers uncovered one gram of meth, testosterone and a shopping bag with almost 300g of cannabis. Other items at the property included knuckledusters, nunchakus, a gel-blaster shotgun, rifle and two Glock and Beretta-modelled handguns, according to the documents.

Meth is a scourge across the Northern Rivers.

Tupling was “storing the gel-blaster guns for his stepchildren” and the knuckledusters were for “walking the streets of Tweed Heads at night for protection”, he told police.

Earlier this year, Tupling was heard telling his lawyer outside court: “All this over some water pistols for Christ’s sake.”

More information was not at hand regarding the status of Tupling’s disability support worker role.

Originally published as Northern NSW man Bryce Tupling, 52, sentenced in Tweed court for drug, weapon offending