Unemployed man fronts court over arms and ammo theft

Shepparton meth head broke into acquaintance’s home and stole gun safe to sell firearms in exchange for drugs and money.

Garrie Scott ripped off a gun safe from an acquaintance’s house to sell firearms and ammunition in exchange for meth and cash.

A meth head has admitted nicking a gun safe from an acquaintance’s house and selling the firearms and ammunition in exchange for drugs and money.

Garrie Scott pleaded guilty in the Koori Court on Monday to a swag of charges, including theft of a firearm, prohibited person being in possession of a firearm, ammunition and cartridge, and burglary.

Following his guilty plea, the 34-year-old participated in a group conference in the presence of his family, Judge Scott Johns and Indigenous elders Aunty Pam Pedersen and Uncle Wally Harrison.

Scott will be sentenced on Wednesday.

The gun owner is a member of the Pine Lodge Shooting Club in Shepparton and an acquaintance of Scott. The court heard that Scott and another person drove a Toyota Camry to the victim’s house when the latter was out on the evening of August 28, 2021.

Garrie Scott’s addiction to meth saw him steal guns and sell them in exchange for the drug.

They located his gun safe which was locked and bolted to the floor. Both used power tools to cut around the floor and walls to remove the safe and a bag of other items, including a knife, a machete and a sheath, a speed loader, headphones, shooting glasses.

The gun safe contained a .038 Ruger scout rifle, a Bruno CZ 9mm handgun, a Taurus circuit judge and a crosman air rifle.

When the homeowner discovered the theft, he contacted Scott’s cousin who said Scott may have taken the items and police were notified.

The burglars drove to an apartment in Melbourne with the stolen guns and stayed there overnight. Scott forwarded photos of the stolen firearms to an associate who offered them to another person for sale.

On August 30, Scott went to Corio to meet with two others and agreed to sell the firearms to them for 1.5 ounces of methylamphetamine, $1000 cash and one litre of GHB.

Meth head Garrie Scott was willing to sell the stolen firearms for $1000 cash and meth to fuel his drug addiction.

None of the firearms were recovered. Scott was arrested on September 16 and refused to provide his phone code to police.

He was bailed by the Shepparton Magistrates Court in June 2022 but breached his bail conditions and was arrested.

In the Koori Court, Scott acknowledged his struggles with ice and said a prolonged period in custody has given him an opportunity to reflect on his behaviour.

Scott said his despicable behaviour led to dangerous weapons being out in the public that put people in harms way.

Judge Johns said unless Scott got on top of his drug use, courts would continue to be a revolving door for him.