Pressure claim over gun
A DUNEDIN mother of two says she was pressured into storing a stolen pistol by a man who took advantage of her.
The weapon, along with 91 rounds of ammunition, was part of a huge cache of firearms stolen from a Maitland St gun club member in October last year.
Jessica Fay Brockie (25) previously pleaded guilty to receiving the 9mm Rock Island pistol, a case, ammunition and a scope worth $2500, which police found between a mattress and bed base at her home.
Defence counsel Joe O’Neill told the Dunedin District Court yesterday there was a family connection between his client’s son and Raymond Moseley — one of the men who committed the original burglary while posing as a glazier.
‘‘She was taken advantage of by being asked to do this,’’ Mr O’Neill said.
Brockie initially refused to hold the stolen goods, he told the court, but eventually bowed to ‘‘emotional pressure’’.
On November 12, Moseley contacted the defendant and asked if he could store some items at her home.
She agreed and he delivered the goods in a case.
Police raided Brockie’s home on November 17 and found them.
Mr O’Neill said his client did not know what was being hidden under her bed and there was no mention of firearms at the time.
The court heard it was Brockie’s first time before the court.
It was that which saved her from a more severe penalty, such as the jail term of four years and four months being served by Moseley, Judge Michael Crosbie said.
‘‘Matters would be pretty gloomy for you if you had a criminal background, because you would be part and parcel of this group of people who were involved in very serious offending,’’ he said.
Brockie said while she did not know what was in the case stored at her house, she suspected it was ‘‘dodgy’’.
‘‘If things look dodgy, they usually are,’’ the judge said.
The burglary, which netted Moseley and another man an arsenal worth more than $40,000, attracted the interest of the criminal fraternity nationwide, the court heard.
While Brockie played a part in the criminal process, he accepted her life was not entrenched in organised crime, Judge Crosbie said.
She was sentenced to three months’ community detention.
‘‘I accept you’ve learned from this,’’ the judge said.
rob.kidd@odt.co.nz