‘Not the Wild West’: Steven Powell hid gel blaster gun in underwear
A concreter and soon-to-be dad had not long been out of jail when he was nabbed at 4am with a fake pistol down his daks.
South East
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A jailbird with a fascination for weapons who was caught with an imitation gun hidden in his underwear has been sent back to the slammer.
Steven Powell is serving more time after he was caught in a southeast suburbs’ industrial estate at 4am in the morning with a gel blaster pistol in his pants.
The Pakenham 30-year-old concreter pleaded guilty to weapons, drug possessions and unlicensed driving charges at Frankston Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.
The court heard at around 4am on May 19 this year a police patrol came across a car parked in a quiet industrial area of Clyde North.
When they went to investigate they saw Powell stood next to the vehicle, belonging to his partner, who was also present.
He told officers they had car issues and were waiting for a tow truck.
Cops were suspicious and searched the car, finding a sunglasses case containing a small bag of ice and two prescription pills.
He was arrested, and during a pat down search back at the station a lookalike handgun was uncovered in his underwear.
It was a plastic gel blaster gun which looks very similar to a small pistol and can be readily bought online for around $30.
His defence lawyer said his client, who has a long criminal history of weapons possessions, had got out of jail in November but sadly relapsed into drug use in May.
He said Powell accepted having an imitation firearm of any description “didn’t look good” but he had only bought it to shoot round the garden and wasn’t using it “for any nefarious purposes”.
He said there was “a glimmer of light under the door” regarding his rehabilitation prospects and he was motivated by the impending birth of his child.
Magistrate Gerard Lethbridge said he “had lost count” of the number of priors Powell, who seems to have a “particular fascination with weapons” has for similar offences.
“It’s an imitation firearm that is realistic to say the least, it is something that looks like it could cause great harm,” Mr Lethbridge said.
“And he’s caught in a vehicle in a public place with it at 4am in the morning in the context of possessions of various drugs.
“This is not the Wild West, it is time for him to stop associating with weapons of any description, time for him to grow up.”
Powell was jailed for three months, minus 14 days he has already served.
He must also do a 12-month community corrections order with 150 hours of work and drug treatment and was banned from driving for six months.
