Tristan Robert Taylor-Woods faces Warwick Magistrates Court after being busted with weapons, ammo at family home

A police search at a Warwick address led a ‘careless’ father of three to front a magistrate after weapons were found at his home during a police raid. Read how it went down.

A Warwick father of three has ended up in front of a magistrate who labelled him “slack” and “careless” after weapons were located improperly stored in the family home during a police search.

Warwick Magistrates Court was told a police search of Tristan Robert Taylor-Woods’ home on January 13 unveiled weapons in his home, with officers finding a telescopic baton and handcuffs in his bedside table.

Police also found two registered firearms which were stored away as is required by law in a gun safe, however the safe was in a cupboard, which did not comply with regulations.

The court was told police also found ammunition which was also not stored correctly in another compartment of the bedside table.

The gun safe was not bolted down correctly as required by law, and when police questioned Taylor-Woods about it he told them “he was going to move it down to the shed when he got the chance”.

It was revealed the gun safe had been in the cupboard for three years.

On May 15 Taylor-Woods pleaded guilty to four charges including failure to store ammunition, possessing restricted items, unlawful possession of a weapon (category M) and possessing a restricted item.

Defence lawyer Clare Hine told the court the 33-year-old was a “very hardworking man” who was employed as a truck driver.

Ms Hine also said Taylor-Woods previously kept the gun safe secured in the shed, “but made the mistake of bringing it into the house as there had been a number of break-ins in the area and he thought it was safer to bring it in the house”.

Magistrate Virginia Sturgess told Taylor-Woods that as a licenced weapon holder there were requirements to secure the weapons, and not to possess the extra restricted items.

“There's good reason for this, it’s highly risk of these weapons stolen by criminals, but also the risk it’s easily accessible that even other people in the household could get hold of the weapons,” she said.

“They’re very good public safety reasons the requirements are the way they are. I think this offence is more in relation to you being slack or careless in terms of your obligations as a licenced weapons holder.

“You’ll need to demonstrate that you are effectively a person who can be trusted with weapons.”

Taylor-Woods was fined $600 and the items were forfeited. No conviction was recorded.

Originally published as Tristan Robert Taylor-Woods faces Warwick Magistrates Court after being busted with weapons, ammo at family home