Alice Springs gun owner Ron Sterry sues NT Police over raid, claiming ‘distress, insult, humiliation’

The Police Minister will determine if a full review of the Territory Firearms Act is needed in the wake of an Alice Springs local having to hand over his guns.

Alice Springs gun owner Ron Sterry says police entered his property ‘by means of an unlawfully obtained search warrant’. Picture: Supplied

The Territory government will consider a “full review” of the Firearms Act after an Alice Springs gun owner was forced to hand over his guns after coming to the aid of a neighbour.

Ron Sterry was exonerated on a string of weapons offences in October 2021 after a judge found he was justified in taking a gun with him when he came to his neighbour’s rescue the previous April.

Mr Sterry was handed a good-behaviour bond without conviction after he was found guilty of

a single charge of unnecessarily attaching a bayonet to his rifle at the time, with the court ordering that his licence and guns be returned.

But police subsequently revoked his licence and seized the guns, with Chief Judge Elizabeth Morris ruling on appeal that the original judge only had the power to order the return of his licence card.

In rejecting Mr Sterry’s appeal, Ms Morris said the section of the Firearms Act that cost Mr Sterry his guns contained “incongruity and absurdity in relation to the penalty of the suspension”.

“How can being convicted and released on a bond incur a lesser mandatory restriction than not being convicted and having the charge dismissed?” she asked.

In response, Police Minister Kate Worden said she had discussed the issue with NT Police “regarding the ambiguities in the current legislation”.

“During those discussions it was agreed any decisions about a review of the act would be discussed after the meeting of the Police Ministers Council, where a National Firearms Registry was discussed — this meeting was held last week,” she said.

“Following this meeting, I have undertaken to work with the Acting Commissioner to determine if a full review of the act will be required.”

Gun owner sues police for $130k over ‘unlawful’ raid

An Alice Springs gun owner is suing NT Police for more than $130,000 over a raid on his home in which they seized toy guns, “chilli oil” and a chemical “consistent with water”.

It came after a court dismissed a string of weapons charges against Ron Sterry after ruling he was justified in taking one of his guns with him when coming to the aid of a neighbour in 2021.

Mr Sterry was handed a good-behaviour bond without conviction after he was found guilty of a single charge of unnecessarily attaching a bayonet to the rifle at the time, with the court ordering that his licence and guns be returned.

Chief Judge Elizabeth Morris later ruled police had no choice but to seize the guns after revoking his licence following the raid, while noting the “incongruity and absurdity” of the legal provision in question.

A statement of claim lodged with the Local Court reveals Mr Sterry is now seeking $137,824 in total damages, plus interest.

The claim includes, $28,000 for “embarrassment, humiliation, distress, and insult”; $21,000 for trespass “in that the police entered the property by means of an unlawfully obtained search warrant”; $19,000 for trespass “in that the police commenced entering and searching the property 46 minutes prior to the search warrant being issued”; and $1000 for replacement of a damaged firearms safe.

Meanwhile, in a letter seen by this publication Ms Morris has written to Police Minister Kate Worden seeking an “urgent review of this particular piece of legislation”.

“It is not clear what flows as a disqualification period from the penalty; and even if the law appears to be clear in a certain instance, it would create an incongruous and apparently disproportionate result for an alternative but lesser penalty,” she wrote.

“For example, someone who receives a bond without conviction, faces a greater penalty of two years disqualification, than someone who is convicted (on one interpretation of the section).”

In response to the dismissal of his appeal in January, Mr Sterry said he was “a bit upset by this decision” but had “no regret in helping my neighbours”.

“Hopefully there will be enough political momentum to protect future good Samaritans,” he said.

Ms Worden has been contacted for comment but said at the time she had asked NT Police to “take into account the judge’s comments and report back to me about a potential review of the legislation”.