Blaise Armour, the nephew of Jason Moran, pleads guilty to drug charge in Melbourne Magistrates' Court

THE NEPHEW of Jason Moran, who was in the vehicle when the gangland figure was shot, appeared in court today to plead guilty to a drug offence.

THE NEPHEW of Jason Moran, who was in the vehicle when the gangland figure was gunned down, appeared in court today to plead guilty to a drug offence.

Blaise Armour admitted possessing articles used for the manufacture of a drug of dependence at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court.

The 20-year-old – the stepson of Geoffrey “Nuts” Armour, who is serving 26 years in jail for the murder of Des Moran – was arrested on June 25 after police found a mobile drug lab in the boot of a car in Prahran at 4.45am.

Armour was one of the youngsters in the vehicle when his uncle and Pasquale Barbaro were gunned down on June 21, 2003, at a junior footy clinic in Essendon.

He is the son of Suzanne Kane, the sister of Jason’s widow Trish, who admitted to being an accessory after the fact to the murder of Des “Tuppence” Moran in 2009.

Juliet Hardy, Armour’s lawyer, said: “My client is the bit-part player in this scenario.

“He has had an extremely tumultuous upbringing. He has had no contact with his father and only recently found out who his father is.

“When my client was 11 years of age he was witness to a horrible crime. His uncle was Jason Moran and he was murdered in front of him.

“The matter had a profound effect.”

Police stumbled on the mobile drug lab after they stopped a silver Volkswagen Golf sedan in Commercial Road, Prahran, because it was being driven without headlights.

Armour was sitting in the front passenger seat at the time.

Officers found equipment and chemicals which are commonly used to manufacture amphetamine-type substances.

The police also found numerous snap lock bags, ice pipes, a sealed bag containing traces of white powder and a small bag of ice on the rear seat.

Later that day, officers searched Armour’s home in Fitzgerald St, South Yarra, and found a large amount of scientific glassware, equipment and chemicals used to manufacture amphetamines and other equipment including two bongs.

When interviewed by police, Armour made no comment.

Ms Hardy said Armour planned to return to Perth, where he has spent much of his life, and resume his studies in accountancy.

Armour, who had never been in trouble with the law before the incident, was given a 15 month adjourned undertaking and told no conviction would be recorded.