Dandenong Magistrates Court: Elvin Bafto given jail after firing sub-machine gun
A man who used to hang about with bikies was caught on film firing a fully automatic submachine gun into a Commodore at a Nar Nar Goon property.
South East
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A man who was formerly associated with bikie groups was caught on camera letting loose with a fully automatic submachine gun on an old Commodore.
Elvin Bafto, 32, appeared in the Dandenong Magistrates Court on Friday where a sentence indication was given and accepted after he was charged with discharging a dangerous firearm on a rural property in Nar Nar Goon.
Police from the Echo Taskforce uncovered a video of Bafto wearing gloves and shoes with a pink lining, firing 10-15 rounds from the gun into the wreckage of a white Holden in a rural setting.
The video was uncovered after Bafto sent the video to a man whose phone had been confiscated by police in May 2019 via WhatsApp.
The court heard Bafto was no longer associated with old friends who were the subject of other investigations by Echo Taskforce.
Police said the Nar Nar Goon property on which the alleged crime occurred was formerly owned by Bafto’s mother.
Bafto was also prohibited from possessing any kind of firearm at the time of offending.
When police searched Bafto’s address they found clothes that matched those worn by Bafto in the video.
The Clyde North man is now working with his brother-in-law as an operations manager for their soil moving business that carries out government contracts.
Magistrate John O'Callaghan said matters such as this were a “concern to society” and we need only to “look to America” to see the “deleterious effects” of firearms in the hands of the wrong people.
“I don’t need to stress the dangers of firearms,” he said.
Bafto was given the indication of one month in jail followed by a two year community corrections order.
Bafto accepted the indication but was given a few weeks to get his affairs in order before beginning his sentence.
He will return to court for formal sentencing in November.
