‘Gang life over’ but guns found

A former gang member found with two sawn-off rifles says he has left the outlaw lifestyle behind.

Boycee Linton Junior Karetu, 34, became a patched member of the Mongrel Mob as a teenager, but the Dunedin District Court heard on Friday he planned never to fall foul of the law again.

“I hope that sentiment is genuine,” Judge Michael Turner said.

Police raided Karetu’s Andersons Bay home on September 10.

Under his bed they found a .270 calibre rifle wrapped in a red hoodie inside a duffel bag. The barrel had been cut down and the butt modified with a pistol grip, a police summary said.

The firearm was loaded with one round, and four rounds were in an attached magazine.

In the same bag was a .223 calibre rifle wrapped in a white T-shirt, which had been similarly altered.

Karetu, who did not hold a firearms licence, said he was holding on to the weapons for mates and had left the gang two years ago.

“This suggests you have not completely disassociated yourself,” Judge Turner said.

Psychotherapist Sean Manning interviewed Karetu and two of his sisters to assist the court.

He said Karetu had the “capacity for respectful behaviour” and appeared motivated to change his life’s course.

The ex-gang member’s plan for the future was to start his own business, the court heard.

Counsel Andy Belcher said Manning’s report was probably the first time anyone had sat down with his client and addressed his past.

“Who knows what might have happened if that had happened earlier,” he said.

Karetu was jailed for 19 months and a forfeiture order was made for the guns and ammunition.