Man who supplied murderers with shotgun jailed

A man who supplied the shotgun used in the killing of a 19-year-old and later helped to dispose of the gun will spend six years behind bars.

THE Mowbray man who supplied the shotgun used in the killing of a 19-year-old and later helped to dispose of the gun was sentenced to six years behind bars in the Launceston Supreme Court on Wednesday.

Christopher Leigh Brown earlier pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact of murder, trafficking in cannabis and dealing with a firearm when not the holder of a firearms’ licence, after an earlier murder charge was dropped.

Teenagers William Adair Rothwell and Jacob Michael Brennan are serving 26-year sentences after pleading guilty to the murder of Billy Ray Waters in August 2019.

The 12-gauge single-barrel shotgun used in the murder had originally been in the possession of Waters, but was given to Brown by an acquaintance concerned the methamphetamine user may be dangerous.

The 34-year-old sold it on to Rothwell for $500 a few days before the murder after being told it was going to be used for a robbery.

Justice Brett said in hindsight it was to implement a plan Rothwell had developed to kill Mr Waters.

Billy Ray Waters.

He said Brown “did not know of the plan” and “had no expectation he intended to kill” Mr Waters otherwise he would likely have faced the original charge.

Justice Brett said the “objective seriousness is extremely high” because it was the shotgun that had been used to kill Mr Waters.

Brown also provided a single shot gun cartridge.

In sentencing Justice Brett said Brown and Rothwell thought Mr Waters had stolen cannabis and “you made a comment he deserved to be killed.”

Justice Brett said Rothwell’s motivation was likely to have arisen from his connection to Brown and although he may have been “shocked” by the action, Mr Waters had been “killed in part for your benefit.”

Mr Waters was shot in the leg, stabbed 18 times, beaten with a wooden baton before being shot in the back of the head.

“It was 12 days before the body was discovered, you contributed to this delay,” Justice Brett said.

Justice Brett said Brown’s moral culpability was aggravated by the fact he continued to provide comfort and solace to Rothwell and Brennan after the murder.

He said it was a serious example of being an accessory after the fact of murder.

Brown gave the shotgun to his brother-in-law to destroy and hide, and helped return Mr Waters’ key to his flatmates in an effort to cover up the crime.

Brown will be eligible for parole after serving four years, back dated to August 2019.