Dean Nicoll: Bendigo dad busted with sawn-off gun, meth

Police busted a Bendigo dad in a stolen BMW carrying a sawn-off gun and a cigarette container stuffed with meth, a court has heard.

A Bendigo dad has been busted in a stolen BMW with a sawn-off gun and bullets hidden in a sock in the front seat, and a cigarette container stuffed with meth.

Dean Nicoll appeared in Bendigo Magistrates’ Court last week to plead guilty to a range of driving and drug offences dating back to June 2019.

The court heard the Bendigo dad was behind the wheel of a stolen $10,000 BMW with a gun stashed away at the front seat.

Police said at 1.30am, Sunday April 5, 2020 three unknown people stole a $10,000 black BMW from an underground car park in South Yarra.

Almost two weeks later, on Thursday April 23, the stolen car was finally tracked down at California Gully, 160km from where its owner left it.

Police found Nicholl standing next to the car and a 30-year-old woman seated in the passenger seat.

Court documents said officers found the car keys in Nicholl’s pants pocket.

A search of the stolen car found a sawn-off 0.22 firearm hidden in a sock stuffed between the driver’s seat and the centre console.

The gun was loaded and cocked, with another four rounds of ammunition also in the black sock.

The 39-year-old Bendigo man initially told officers he was picked up by the woman and was not aware that it was stolen and was not aware the gun was there.

A year later on Friday 16 April 2021, Nicholl was busted at Reservoir service station, after police pulled over a black Mazda driven by the Bendigo man.

His two daughters who were passengers in the car watched as their father was arrested.

A search of the vehicle uncovered 0.53g of a crystal-like substance, believed to be methylamphetamine, hidden in a metal cigarette container in the centre console.

Court documents revealed the 39-year-old had eight counts of bail against his name when he was finally arrested in April.

The Bendigo man also admitted to a range of driving offences, including disqualified and suspended driving, driving an unregistered car, using stolen plates, reckless driving endangering life, failure to stop on police direction.

He pleaded guilty to a 2019 drug charge, after ice pipes and a small quantity of amphetamines were found in his car.

On Wednesday May 12 Nicolls pleaded guilty to the driving, drugs, stolen goods and bail violation charges, driving while suspended and disqualified, possessing amphetamine and methamphetamine, use of an unregistered vehicle, car theft and bail violations.

Police withdrew the charges of possessing a handgun, ammunition and retention of stolen goods after Nicholl’s lawyer Deniz Yildirim repeated his client’s claim he was not aware the car was stolen or the gun was there.

Magistrate Rodney Higgins sentenced him to 62 days in custody, already served, and a 12-month community corrections order which was to include 280 hours of community service.

The Bendigo father will face further unrelated charges at Broadmeadows and Heidelberg magistrates’ courts.