A man accused of attempting to on-sell guns stolen from a Thirroul home has been refused bail, while two others allegedly involved in the plot also remain behind bars.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
A CCTV camera was rolling at the home when Ryan McWhorter, 27, of Mount Warrigal, allegedly entered the ground floor garage at the weekend and stole five pistols.
Police allege three of the guns – a .22 calibre pistol, a .32 calibre pistol and an air target pistol - later came into the hands of Shannon Kakahi, 33, of Warilla.
Kakahi was allegedly in the process of selling the guns – asking $1700 for two or $2500 for all three – when police arrested him at his home on Thursday, after receiving information that he still had at least one of the stolen pistols.
Police allegedly found a stolen Steyr Sport LP10 pistol at the Warilla address.
They later seized Kakahi’s phone and downloaded the contents, allegedly uncovering a movie which showed him playing with the pistol.
The phone also allegedly contained pictures of one of the stolen pistols, and screenshots from websites showing the details and price of similar pistols.
Shown a copy of the footage, Kakahi told officers “that’s not me”.
Police say Kakahi had been on the run for several months, recently returning to the Illawarar from Melbourne.
He was refused bail in court on Friday.
McWhorter faced court on Tuesday but did not apply for bail. He faces 14 charges stemming from the alleged theft and sale of the weapons. He will return to court on January 31.
Meantime a third man, Shaun Davies is accused of acquiring one of the unauthorised firearms.
He came to police attention about 2am on November 30, when police stopped a taxi carrying him and another man at Warrawong. The other man ran away, allegedly dropping a backpack that contained a .22 calibre Pardini pistol allegedly stolen from Thirroul.
Davies remained seated in the cab and was arrested in relation to an outstanding warrant.
He was granted bail at Wollongong Local Court later in the day, only for investigators to arrest him again, after gathering further evidence that allegedly links him to the stolen pistols.
Davies did not apply for bail in court on Friday.
He and Kakahi will return to court on January 24.
Police are working to locate a fourth man believed involved in the incident and inquiries are continuing into the whereabouts of the remaining three guns.
Contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 to assist with the police investigation, which is ongoing.
Angela Thompson
Proudly Illawarra Mercury since 2008; these days covering crime and justice issues. UOW alum. Thrilled by the chase and sobered by some of the things I see and hear when I stand still - sometimes in the same day. ang.thompson@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Proudly Illawarra Mercury since 2008; these days covering crime and justice issues. UOW alum. Thrilled by the chase and sobered by some of the things I see and hear when I stand still - sometimes in the same day. ang.thompson@austcommunitymedia.com.au
