Diamond’s career out of bullets
OLYMPIC trap shooting champion Michael Diamond’s career is over after he was banned from holding a gun licence for 10 years.
A visibly upset Diamond said “no comment” outside Raymond Terrace Local Court in NSW last night after he was found guilty and convicted of three firearms offences and high-range drink driving following a three-day hearing.
The six-time Olympian’s barrister Daniel McMahon askeda for the magistrate to proceed without o a conviction ti under sections 10 following lo the guiltyg verdict.
He said his clientc would “effectively be without his professional career” and “without a capacity to earn a livelihood” because he had left school at the age of 12 to pursue professional shooting.
However Magistrate Caleb Franklin said Diamond had already had the benefit of escaping a conviction in 2004 when he failed to store a firearm safely.
He convicted him of all the firearm offences placing him under a 12-month good behaviour bond.
The conviction means he will be banned from holding a firearms licence for a decade. He was also disqualified from driving for a minimum of six months.