"BORED" and in need of fun were the reasons why a man bought an air rifle, a court has heard.
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Simon Beecham, 44, of Tyndall Street, Kelso pleaded guilty in Bathurst Local Court on October 25, 2023 to:
- Possessing an unregistered firearm,
- Not keeping a firearm safely, and
- Possessing an unauthorised firearm.
Court documents state police were outside of Beecham's home in Kelso on October 7 when a witness said "he has a slug gun in his bedroom".
Police knocked on the front door of the home and spoke with Beecham, who told police - after questioning - that it was a relative's "little pellet gun".
The court heard Beecham took police into his bedroom, where they were pointed to a 60 centimetre break action air rifle.
Beecham told police it was a "display thing" before he was arrested and taken to Bathurst Police Station.
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![Bathurst Courthouse, where Simon Beecham was sentenced on October 25, 2023. Picture by James Arrow Bathurst Courthouse, where Simon Beecham was sentenced on October 25, 2023. Picture by James Arrow](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/5QSV2wJYJi8ZgVyWibkV7A/18a428a5-11b5-45b1-8840-9788b165e717.jpg/r0_296_7401_4473_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Sentence
Legal Aid solicitor Keith Kuan told the court his client had bought the air rifle because he was "bored and wanted to have fun".
"He wasn't aware it was a criminal offence [to have this type of firearm]," Mr Kuan said.
Magistrate Elizabeth Ellis said Beecham's lack of offending since 2016 was his "saving grace" from a harsher penalty.
Beecham was placed on a 12-month community correction order and fined $800.
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