KEY POINTS:
Guns, drugs and a slip back into bad habits put an Upper Hutt man described as a funny, intelligent and honest individual in jail for the next 22 months.
Gerard James Johnson, 33, unemployed, was sentenced in the Wellington District Court today for unlawfully having four firearms, including a pistol and a military-style, semi-automatic rifle and possessing methamphetamine and cannabis.
He had also been convicted of receiving, as all the guns were stolen and had been bought on the black market.
He was also convicted of stealing $1250 worth of electricity from Genesis Energy through a rewired power box that bypassed the metering system, and having a stolen passport in his possession.
However, as he admitted his guilt to all charges at the earliest possible moment, and because all of the contraband was for personal use only, he received a lesser sentence than he would have otherwise, Judge Barry said.
Beside a closed-circuit TV monitor wired to a camera watching the front door of his Upper Hutt house, police found three quarters of a gram -- about $750 worth -- of methamphetamine. They also found a small bag containing three grams of cannabis.
Following a track from his yard leading onto bush-clad public land, police found a box containing a pistol, a semi-automatic Mini-14 rifle, a combination shotgun-.22 hunting rifle and a .270 hunting rifle.
Ammunition for all the weapons was found stored with them, and the pistol was loaded two rounds.
A further search of Johnson's house found the stolen passport and the rewired meter box.
Johnson used the guns to hunt pigs and not for organised criminal activity or onselling, Judge Barry said.
Likewise, the judge noted the stash of drugs was for personal use and not supply, and the meter box had been rigged by a previous occupant of the house and Johnson just took advantage of the free electricity because it was there.
Defence lawyer Greg King gave his client a glowing personal reference, saying everyone with any dealings with Johnson had found him to be honest and owned up immediately to what he had done.
"They describe him as an intelligent and funny individual. He has been a pleasure to deal with.
"He is able to live his life without offending for a long time. This is an aberration, and he has fallen back into bad habits," Mr King said.
Prosecutor Tiana Epati asked for two years jail for Johnson with no home detention.
"What is of concern is the consumption of drugs in the presence of firearms," she said.
Judge Barry gave Johnson three years, reduced by 14 months due to his early guilty pleas for the raft of charges, giving a total time of 22 months.
Leave to apply for home detention was denied and Johnson was ordered to undergo drug and alcohol counselling.
The judge ordered the guns be destroyed.
- NZPA
