Erna Analiese Zell, former NQ Pawn Stars owner, pleads guilty to burglary while armed and possessing dangerous drugs

A former pawn shop owner, mistakenly convinced a man had stolen from her, instigated a “frightening” vigilante-style plot which came unstuck over one glaring detail caught on CCTV footage.

Former NQ Pawn Stars owner Erna Zell closed her second hand store, located at the Showgrounds Shopping Centre, in 2023. Picture: Brendan Radke

The former owner of NQ Pawn Stars faced Cairns District Court on Tuesday for her role in a “vigilante-style” plot to retrieve goods she believed had been stolen from her shop.

Erna Analiese Zell, 61, pleaded guilty to burglary while armed and possessing dangerous drugs.

The court heard that Zell, who closed her Mulgrave store last year after five years of trading, drove with an alleged co-offender to the home of the person she believed had stolen goods from her.

The man she was with wrapped a gel blaster that looked like a replica Glock in his shirt and entered the home where there were three children under 12 years of age and the man’s brother-in-law, who fled.

The man exited the home and the pair drove off and police captured CCTV footage of Zell’s car with a business sticker on it, the court heard.

Police executed a search warrant at her home two days later and found 46g of cannabis and two gel blasters in the foot well of her car.

Former NQ Pawn Stars owner Erna Zell. Picture: Brendan Radke

Crown prosecutor Matt Hancock said it was a “vigilante justice-style” act and it would have been frightening for the children.

Defence barrister John Shepley said Zell, the mother of three and grandmother of two, had no criminal history.

He said his client realised the folly of being involved in this undertaking.

He tendered 10 character references for her.

Judge Brad Farr said the gel blaster had the appearance of an actual hand gun.

“You were the owner of a pawn shop here in Cairns and did business with the person, and for reasons best known to yourself, you took the view that the person had stolen from the store, you had been the subject of stealing on a number of occasions,” Judge Farr said.

“The person you were looking for was not home at the time.”

He said it turned out to be untrue that the man had done the theft Zell was seeking to avenge, and it was apparent she was the instigator.

Judge Farr imposed a 12 month suspended sentence for burglary and convicted but did not further punish her for possessing cannabis.

Originally published as Erna Analiese Zell, former NQ Pawn Stars owner, pleads guilty to burglary while armed and possessing dangerous drugs