Police allege Whittington, who was recently discharged from the Australian Army after eight years of service, was found in possession of the pistol, a silencer, handcuffs, knuckle dusters, martial arts nunchucks and numerous knives, including a Samurai sword, during a vehicle stop at Russell Vale on Tuesday.

Police documents tendered to Wollongong Local Court during Whittington’s bail application on Wednesday said the 28-year-old, from Crace in the ACT, was seen by a witness allegedly acting suspiciously outside a home on Palmyra Avenue in Thirroul just before 1pm on Tuesday.

The person reported the matter to police, who stopped Whittington as he was driving his silver Ford Ranger along York Street in Russell Vale.

The court documents said officers discovered a loaded Colt 1911 .45 calibre pistol in a small bag in the car, prompting them to place Whittington under arrest.

The search was then continued, with officers videoing the event for evidentiary purposes. The remainder of the weapons were found throughout the vehicle, police claim.

During an interview with police, Whittington admitted to owning the items, saying he had them in the car because he was moving house.

In court on Wednesday, his lawyer, Tyrone Phillips, said Whittington had driven to the Illawarra to take up work with his brother, who lived in Dapto.

Mr Phillips sought bail for his client, saying Whittington had no criminal record and had acquired the weapons during his time in the army.

However, Magistrate Mark Douglass refused the application, saying he was concerned about the “sophisticated nature” of some of the weapons.

“Police say the gun was loaded and had the capacity to take a silencer,” he said.

Whittington was remanded in custody to see a mental health nurse before reappearing in court on Friday.