Garry Preston Branson pleads guilty to receiving, possessing stolen firearm

A loaded, stolen rifle was one of several frightening finds when police searched the car of a 48-year-old labourer. Now, he’s been sentenced.

A 48-year-old Gympie labourer has avoided actual jail time after being caught with a loaded, stolen rifle in the back seat of his car.

Possessing the stolen gun was but one of a more than a dozen charges Garry Preston Branson pleaded guilty to in Gympie Magistrates Court on Monday morning.

Police prosecutor Melissa Campbell said the weapon, a Remington 700, was one of several stolen from a Curra property between February 12 and March 17, 2022.

The cache was stored inside a gun safe; the remaining weapons have not been found.

Police found the weapon in the back seat of Branson’s car, which he had parked at the side of the road at North Deep Creek in the early hours of April 1.

They searched the car after finding .222 caliber ammunition in the front pocket of Branson’s pants.

The rifle was loaded with several more rounds of the same ammunition.

Garry Preston Branson leaves Gympie Magistrates Court after pleading guilty to more than a dozen charges, including receiving and possessing a tainted firearm after being caught with a loaded, stolen rifle in the back seat of his car.

Sgt Campbell told the court Branson was not licensed to have a firearm.

A meth smoking pipe, three small clip seal bags with the drug in a “crystal shard form”, and a black balaclava under the driver’s seat were also located.

Branson pleaded guilty to 15 charges in total, including receiving tainted property firearm or ammunition, unlawful possession of a category A weapon, possessing explosives, entering a premises and committing an indictable offence, two counts of unlawfully possessing a relevant substances, five counts of possessing dangerous drugs, possessing utensils or pipes, failing to appear, and breach of bail.

The break-and-enter charge stemmed from the illegal entry of a training business in Gympie sometime between 2pm on January 2 and 9.30am January 3.

Garry Preston Branson was sentenced to four months’ jail, suspended for a year, following his guilty plea in Gympie Magistrates Court to a string of charges.

The court heard Branson had gained entry by pushing a bin against the wall and breaking through a window.

Several items had been moved around inside the centre, and a desktop computer was stolen.

Police identified Branson through a fingerprint match.

Branson’s lawyer told the court his client was a qualified boiler maker but was unable to continue that trade due to a degenerative back injury he suffered in a motorcycle crash.

His client had been working as a part-time labourer, as well as buying damaged motor vehicles, repairing them, and reselling them.

At the time of his offending he “had a few riff raff living at his property at the time”.

These people had been an influence on Branson, the court heard and he was planning to move west of Gympie to get away from them.

Magistrate John Milburn sentenced Branson to four months’ jail, wholly suspended for one year, and fined him $250.

Originally published as Garry Preston Branson pleads guilty to receiving, possessing stolen firearm