A man carrying a replica gun while buying a leather jacket in Cash Converters in Wanganui was convicted yesterday on two charges of possessing an offensive weapon, two of unlawfully carrying a firearm, and one of behaving threateningly.
John Thompson was buying the jacket on September 3. He put it on, then placed a gun in the pocket, the Whanganui District Court was told. When a staffer saw it, Thompson said: "Don't worry love, I'm not going to shoot you."
Police were called. Thompson returned on September 4 and yelled at the staffer. He left on a motorcycle, with a machete on the back, wrapped in a T-shirt.
Defence lawyer Anna Brosnahan said Thompson was moving home at the time, which was why he had the gun with him. He used it to scare off feral cats. The other possession charge related to a pocketknife, which he had taken to police.
Judge David Cameron remanded him to December 3 for sentencing.