Airman had stolen gun parts before
A military inquiry into a Blenheim flight sergeant stealing gun parts reveals he stole submachine gun parts on several occasions a year earlier.
Rifle parts also disappeared under his watch, but a military court investigation did not connect the airman with those thefts.
Murray John Smith has since lost his job at Base Woodbourne, in Marlborough, following the internal investigation carried out on the back of criminal charges, of which he was found guilty.
Suspicions arose after his coworkers saw him take obsolete Browning pistol parts from the armoury he was in charge of in February last year.
Murray John Smith still undergoing review of employment after theft
The year before, Smith took obsolete Sterling submachine gun parts from the armoury, photocopying the gun’s maintenance manual and turning up while offduty to collect parts on one occasion, the military inquiry revealed.
Rifle parts also disappeared between 2013 and 2014, and it was possible there were other thefts before that, the inquiry said.
Smith originally denied the charges but in the second day of his trial he admitted two charges of theft by a person in a special relationship after strong advice from Judge Jan Kelly. He was convicted and sentenced to 200 hours’ community work.
Smith declined to comment yesterday about losing his job, saying his contract meant he could not speak publicly even after his service ended.
Repairing privately-owned weapons with obsolete weapon parts was a ‘‘common and accepted practice’’ in air force bases nationwide, the court said.
It accepted the parts taken from Base Woodbourne were to create replica guns for Marlborough Returned and Services Association displays.
But the policies on weapon disposal would be reviewed and armament staff trained on non-service task policy.