Our client was charged with one offence of not keep firearm safely and one offence of not notify police of change of address where firearm stored. The maximum penalty for not keeping a firearm safely is a fine of $2,200 and/or 12 months imprisonment. The maximum penalty for not notifying police of change of address where firearm stored is a fine of $5,500.
Our client plead guilty to both offences at the earliest opportunity and appeared before Wollongong Local Court for sentence. Prior to his sentencing proceedings, we assisted our client in preparing his subjective case which included strong references that attested to his otherwise good character, including being a father of three young children, owning and operating his own business as a cement renderer, being the sole income earner in the family, and a very genuine letter of apology expressing his remorse for the offending conduct and the impact firearms offences have on the wider community.
We appeared before Wollongong Local Court and made submissions on sentence that our client had learned a valuable lesson and that the court should exercise discretion in his case. After hearing our submissions, the court dismissed the charges pursuant to a section 10. Our client and his family were very pleased with the outcome, given the serious nature of the firearms charges.