Jesse James Babarovich, 26, of Shepparton, pleaded guilty in Shepparton Magistrates’ Court to possessing a traffickable amount of firearms, possessing a firearm without a serial number, possessing a silencer, possessing cartridge ammunition, possessing an imitation firearm, and possessing a firearm while unlicensed and failing to store it securely.
He also pleaded guilty to dishonest retention of stolen goods, possessing a prohibited weapon, possessing steroids, committing an indictable offence while on bail, and failing to give access to a phone when directed to.
The court heard police found a Winchester .44 rifle, a Browning under-over shotgun, a Howa .223 rifle, two air rifles, a silencer and a large amount of ammunition of various calibres in the boot of Babarovich’s car parked at the front of his then Carson St, Shepparton home.
The guns were wrapped in clothes in the boot of the car.
The Browning shotgun had been stolen from a property at Naring in January 2023, while the serial number on the Howa .223 rifle had been ground off.
The Winchester had also been reported as missing from the gun collection of a deceased estate in Shepparton.
Police also seized a crossbow, laser pointer and five vials of steroids from the car, and three bullets from an unlocked safe in a common area of the house.
The discovery occurred after police went to Babarovich’s home on August 2 last year to do a Firearms Prohibition Order compliance check on another man who lived there.
Babarovich’s solicitor Shana McDonald told the court her client’s age, lack of criminal priors, family support and compliance while on bail all showed he had good prospects of rehabilitation.
She also said he had been approved for admission to a residential rehabilitation program, and that the guns were “not connected to any criminal activity”.
Magistrate Peter Mithen sentenced Babarovich to a 12-month community corrections order, despite him being considered a “high risk” of re-offending by the corrections officer who assessed him.
As part of the order, Babarovich will have to receive treatment for drugs, and he will also have to take part in programs that will lessen his risk of re-offending.
Mr Mithen said he did not include any community work on the order because he wanted Babarovich to “concentrate on your rehabilitation”.
The sentence came with a warning from Mr Mithen.
“If you start dabbling in guns again, the court’s going to look at your priors and you will be looking at prison,” Mr Mithen said.
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