A ROSS Creek man who had a gun with a silencer fitted to it sitting in his lounge room was yesterday given a four month jail term, suspended for two years, in Ballarat Magistrates Court.
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Joel Tonkin, 30, also faced a stalking charge after sending his former partner 429 text messages in 25 days and ringing her 194 times in 20 days throughout June.
A police summary showed Tonkin also visited his ex-girlfriend’s house twice last month after their five year relationship ended in February.
Tonkin pleaded guilty to one count of contravening a family violence intervention order, one charge of stalking another person, one count of failing to answer bail, one charge of possessing an unregistered category A or B longarm, one count of possessing a silencer without a permit, one charge of storing a firearm in an insecure manner and a charge of possessing amphetamines.
The firearms charges relate to a police raid on Tonkin’s house on April 17 where a firearm with a silencer attached was found propped up against a chair in the lounge room.
Tonkin does not hold a firearm licence or permit.
Police also found amphetamines in his Holden Commodore.
Magistrate Noreen Toohey handed Tonkin the suspended jail term for the firearms charges, plus an 18-month community corrections order for the drug and stalking matters.
Tonkin also received five days in jail for failing to answer bail plus an $800 payment to the court fund. However, he has been in custody since last Friday so has already served the time.
Ms Toohey said the matters in front of her were “extremely serious”.
“This is the sort of offending that will get you an immediate jail term,” she said.
She said Tonkin had shown little regard for a family violence intervention order issued on June 19.
“Your former partner attended the police station on June 28 crying about these breaches.
“General and specific deterrents are needed in this case.”
Ms Toohey also said the suspended jail term would be “literally hanging over your head for the next two years”.
She said drug-related issues had been a problem for Tonkin, who has to undertake assessment and treatment for drug abuse as well as a men’s behaviour-change course.
“These are very serious offences. If you are back again, you can expect a jail term.”
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