Joshua Aaron Beard cops shock fine for having tasers, extendible baton and drug utensils at home

A 41-year-old was found with the tasers, an extendible baton and drug utensils during a police search of his Glenvale home.

A 41-year-old Glenvale man found with two tasers in his bedroom received a shock when he was fined by a Toowoomba court.

Joshua Aaron Beard’s Glenvale home was raided by police about 10.17am, October 19, 2023, Toowoomba Magistrates Court was told.

During the search police found an extendible baton (a restricted weapon under Queensland law), a glass pipe for smoking drugs, plastic clip seal bags some with remnants of white crystalline substance and two tasers, police prosecutor Anita Page told the court.

Image of a Taser 10 as used by Queensland Police Service officers.

Beard told police he had the “zappy thing” (taser) for self protection and the baton to hold up the bonnet of his car while working on the engine, she said.

Ms Page said Beard had previous convictions for similar offences.

Beard pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawfully possessing weapons category D/H/R, possessing a restricted item and possessing drug utensils or pipes.

His solicitor Brad Skuse, of Skuse Graham Lawyers, told the court the tasers had been pulled apart but it was accepted they could have been reassembled and his client had intended on discarding the items.

Beard was in a stable relationship with the care of two children and he instructed that he had been clean of drugs for some months, he said.

Magistrate Mark Howden convicted and fined Beard $650 which was referred to SPER (State Penalties Enforcement Registry) for collection.