It was the peculiarity of the scene that first drew the attention of police on that cold August night in 2017.
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Before them stood a lone white Toyota van parked in a dark, empty carpark on the Primbee shoreline.
As they approached the vehicle, a strong smell of cannabis wafted into the night air.
Deciding it was time for a closer inspection, the officers removed Benjamin Hart from the front driver’s seat and asked him a few questions before opting to search the vehicle.
What they discovered over the course of the next 10 minutes was chilling.
In the foot well of the passenger’s seat police unearthed a large bag containing multiple pairs of female underwear, both in children and adult sizing.
Concerned with the unusual find, officers asked Hart to unlock his phone so they could check its contents.
Instead, Hart ran to the edge of Lake Illawarra and threw the phone into the water before police could stop him.
He was then arrested and handcuffed so the search could continue uninterrupted.
As officers dug deeper into the vehicle, they discovered the rear section had been modified, with lining fixed to walls to make the van sound proof and a single leather chair installed frontways in the middle of the cargo area.
Slung over the rear of the passenger seat and within easy reach for the driver was a bag containing a loaded revolver, which police said were of the opinion was “ready for immediate use”.
At the rear of the cargo area, behind the chair, officers discovered another concealed weapon, this time a .410 gauge double barrel shotgun.
The barrels on the firearm had been shortened and the stock fashioned into a pistol grip.
Police said a black nylon strap was attached to the gun so it could be slung around the user’s neck.
It too was loaded with live ammunition.
Also discovered inside the van were a series of six USB devices, which were later examined by specialist forensic police.
The devices were found to contain thousands of child abuse images and videos including a graphic photograph of a male adult raping a female toddler.
Police also uncovered small amounts of cannabis and methylamphetamine inside the vehicle.
Hart, 38, whose address is listed as a quiet street in nearby Barrack Heights, was taken to Lake Illawarra Police Station where he declined to be interviewed by detectives.
He was charged with firearm and child pornography offences, to which he pleaded guilty in Wollongong Local Court on Wednesday.
He is expected to face a sentencing hearing on April 6.
