A man who posed as a glazier to break into a Dunedin house and steal a firearms cache worth more than $46,000 has been jailed for four years four months.
Raymond Jason Mosley (39) admitted the burglary, ammunition and 14 firearms charges when he appeared in the Dunedin District Court in February.
Yesterday, the father of two came before the court to be sentenced for the high-profile break in at the Maitland St home of a gun club member on October 25.
Crown prosecutor Craig Power called it “brazen” and “premeditated”.
But defence counsel Steve Turner said his client went to the property to confront someone about a woman and was suddenly given a high-vis vest.
“He feels a little bit used.”
Mosley said he did not know what was in the property before getting in through a glass panel in the door, the court heard.
Mr Power questioned why there was such an “extensive ruse” if that ignorance existed.
Stolen from two cabinets were 23 pistols, 25,000 rounds of ammunition, four military-style semi-automatic rifles with scopes and a shotgun.
A list of gun club members' details was also taken.
The court heard today that 12,000 rounds remained unrecovered and only five weapons were found as a result of Mosley's arrest.
The firearms cabinets at Maitland St were not locked, police confirmed, after queries from Judge Michael Crosbie.
“I hope that legitimate owners of firearms take a lesson away from this, not only about the safety and security of firearms, but also the volume stored in residential settings,” he said.
The 48-year-old victim of the burglary had become “something of a recluse” since the crime, the judge said.
It is alleged Mosley's co-accused – who cannot be named – found out about the arsenal after his girlfriend had attended the house for work.
Within days, the man was allegedly in contact with senior Hells Angels in the North Island with a view to them buying the weapons, the court heard.
“They were down here pretty smartly,” the judge said.
On November 2, police searched a Greenhill St house where one of Mosley’s associates lived, and found an item connected to the burglary. With it was a note.
‘‘I got ur pistol sorted, pay that $ and its urs[sic],’’ it said.
It was revealed in court today that the offending came only six weeks after Mosley had been sentenced on another firearms charge.
Police conducted a search warrant at his house in June, Mr Power said, and found a sawn-off shotgun.
Mosley had several previous weapons convictions and some history for burglary, the court heard.
The Bandidos motorcycle gang were later informed by the co-accused about the firearms and a couple of patched members were flown to Dunedin on November 7.
Grant Andrew Latimer (57) was one of the men sent down and picked up four weapons from a Canongate address.
When stopped by police in Waikouaiti the following day, officers found a pistol on him and the rest of the firearms were located at a Waitati house, along with ammunition.
Latimer was jailed for 20 months earlier this year.
Mosley was eventually caught by police when a car in Timaru was stopped on an unrelated matter.
Officers found a meth pipe, 0.32g of the class-A drug and 17.4g of cannabis in his possession.
Mosley had admitted the drug charges as well as a couple of counts of breaching previous sentences.
Mr Turner said his client “fell into a poor crowd” and was hoping to take advantage of drug rehab programmes while behind bars.
As well as the jail term, Judge Turner also ordered Mosley to pay reparation of $14,220.