A Tasmanian man has been sentenced to 18 months behind bars for stealing five rifles from a Claremont home, with three of the weapons still at large in the community.
Aaron Garrod Fitzpatrick broke into a residential shed with two accomplices in the early hours of January 8, 2023, smashing open a gun safe and stealing bolt-action rifles worth $4,100.
The group also stole chainsaws and power tools valued at $7,000 before loading everything into a white ute and driving off.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Chris Shanahan handed down the sentence on October 15, saying the theft of firearms called for serious punishment.
“Unregulated firearms in the community are linked to serious criminal conduct and that is a matter of grave community concern,” he said.
CCTV captured three men at the property around 5am. The homeowner discovered the break-in about two hours later.
Forensic evidence linked Fitzpatrick and co-offender Bradley Jones to the burglary.
Jones pleaded guilty, cooperated with police and returned two of the stolen rifles – a .303 and a Voere bolt-action rifle valued at $1,200.
Fitzpatrick refused to cooperate and was found guilty after a jury trial. The third offender has not been identified.
Chief Justice Shanahan said Fitzpatrick had a long criminal record, including theft convictions dating back to 2011 and an aggravated burglary in 2022.
“It was put by the state that, given your lengthy and substantial criminal history, you do not come to this court as a person of good character,” he said.
“I accept that submission and intend to sentence you on the basis that your offending has been slowly escalating until the offences in 2022 and 2023 and now includes the theft of firearms.”
Fitzpatrick received a longer sentence than Jones, who was jailed for 12 months with five months suspended, reflecting Fitzpatrick’s lack of cooperation.
The court heard Fitzpatrick was living a “chaotic” lifestyle at the time, moving between homes.
He has since addressed substance abuse issues while in custody and has remained sober for about a year.
Nine months of Fitzpatrick’s sentence were suspended for two years on the condition he commits no further offences punishable by imprisonment.
The sentence was backdated to April 21, 2025.
