A Tasmanian man who sold a stolen air rifle for half a gram of methylamphetamine has avoided an immediate sentence of imprisonment.
Jay Anthony Dillon, 28, was given a five-month suspended sentence for unlawfully trafficking the firearm, which he had stolen during a daytime break-in at a rural Westwood property last July.
The Supreme Court heard Dillon broke into a shed west of Launceston around 9am on July 26, 2024. He made off with items worth about $7,000, including a chainsaw, a mountain bike and the $1,000 air rifle.
Dressed in dark clothing and a balaclava, Dillon was interrupted mid-burglary by the property owner’s daughter and fled the scene in his car.
Later that day, he traded the rifle for drugs. The firearm has never been recovered.
Justice Robert Pearce noted that although Dillon had already been sentenced by a magistrate for the burglary and theft, the firearms trafficking charge had to be dealt with separately because of its serious nature.
“In my view an additional sentence is required because the result of the theft and sale of stolen firearms is that weapons are then able to circulate unregulated in the community and are more likely to be used for violent or criminal purposes,” he said.
“That makes it a serious offence even though, in your case, it involved only a single firearm.”
The court heard Dillon has a long criminal record largely linked to his drug use. He is currently on a drug treatment order covering multiple offences committed between May and July 2024.
Justice Pearce suspended Dillon’s new five-month sentence for two years, on the condition he complies with his treatment order and stays out of further trouble.
The judge also ordered Dillon to pay compensation to the burglary victim.
Dillon was arrested two days after the break-in and admitted everything to police, but refused to name the person in possession of the rifle.
