Christina Hardcastle leaves gun at foot of toddler’s bed

A Jumbunna mum-of-six left a gun next to her three-year-old’s bed because she “couldn’t find” the key to the gun safe.

Christina Hardcastle escaped conviction after leaving a gun at the foot of her toddler’s bed. Picture: iStock

A mother of six has escaped with a fine after leaving her three-year-old home alone with a gun at the foot of her bed.

Christina Hardcastle appeared in the Korumburra Magistrates’ Court on Thursday where she pleaded guilty to a firearms charge. ff

Hardcastle and her partner are dairy farmers and the court heard she had a licence to have firearms for hunting and production.

But, law requires firearms to be stored in a purpose-built steel storage receptacle.

In May last year police were called to the rural address in Jumbunna, in south Gippsland, to perform a welfare check on a toddler who was alone at the property.

When police entered the house through a sliding door, not only did they find the three-year-old alone in the home, they found a firearm at the end of the child’s bed.

The court heard the young girl would have had to step over the weapon to get into her bed.

Police managed to contact Hardcastle who was at another property about 3km away from the Jumbunna address.

When she returned she showed police her gun safe, which was 150kg and not secured to the floor or wall, a box of cartridges was discovered on top.

Hardcastle told police the firearm was at the foot of her child’s bed because she “couldn’t find” the key.

Further investigation revealed the gun licence had the incorrect address on it, which Hardcastle explained by saying they had just moved.

The New Zealand citizen had been living in Australia at the time but since moved back to New Zealand, travelling back to Korumburra for her court date.

The 40-year-old was let off with a $500 fine and escaped a conviction.