Guilty plea over gun drugs and pipe bomb
A CHARLEMONT man who was found with a pipe bomb at his father’s home will be assessed for a community corrections order.
Matthew Kelsall, 30, appeared before the Geelong Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday where he pleaded guilty to a string of offences including possessing firearms, making an explosive substance, contravening bail, possessing cannabis and driving with methylamphetamine in his system.
The court heard Kelsall, who has been in custody since February, was banned from possessing firearms when police attended the Corio home he was living at with his father last year.
When police arrived they saw Kelsall sitting at a desk in a garage, while his father was seen walking out of the garage with ammunition on him.
A police search uncovered a sawn-off firearm, fitted with a silencer, hidden under the billiard table and Kelsall was arrested.
Police also found a pipe bomb located within a work bench and the bomb response unit was called. The bomb was founded to contain a form of smokeless powder that was later removed and the area was deemed safe.
The court heard police found 21 cannabis plants in the lounge room, while a further search warrant uncovered more than 56g of cannabis.
Police also found bags containing shotgun cartridges, different varieties of ammunition, powder and projectiles. Kelsall also pleaded guilty to an unrelated driving offence.
Kelsall was granted bail over the initial offending, but was remanded in custody after breaching those conditions. His lawyer, Hollie Lyons, told the court her client had been in custody for eight months and wanted to turn his life around.
Magistrate Simon Guthrie ordered Kelsall undergo a community corrections order before returning to court for sentencing on September 26.