A former Australian Defence Force soldier found with a loaded gun in a suburban street in Thirroul has been jailed for 18 months.
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Lawyers for Joshua Whittington said he was in a fragile state of mind when officers stopped his vehicle moments after he was seen acting suspiciously in Palmyra Avenue on the afternoon of September 27 last year.
Inside the vehicle, police found a cache of weapons including a loaded a Colt 1911, a silencer, handcuffs, knuckle dusters, martial arts nunchucks and numerous knives.
He told police he was a cabinet maker and had been told there was a skip bin containing discarded wood on the street.
However, in court on Friday, Whittington’s lawyer said the explanation had been a fib, and that thoughts of self harm had consumed Whittington’s mind that day but he had been too embarrassed to reveal the truth to police.
However, a further explanation – that he was in the middle of relocating from Canberra to Wollongong – was true, she said.
She rejected suggestions that Whittington had only shown “superficial” remorse and didn’t appreciate the seriousness of having a loaded gun in public, saying his time in the army had “de-sensitised” him when it came to guns.
Judge Andrew Haesler said Whittington was a person of previous good character who had served his country well but struggled with post-army life.
“He has a great deal of promise for the future, but his offending on this occasion was so serious that a sentence of full-time prison is the court’s only option,” he said.
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