The offence only came to light because his friend was involved in a domestic violence incident, to which police were called and had carried out a search.
Lee-Broughton later went voluntarily to the police station to explain the circumstances.
He had no prior convictions, was employed, and had good family support — his brother had come to court with him.
Police prosecutor Nicholas Fountain agreed the offending was low level and that a suspended sentence or fine was appropriate. He noted the penalty for this type of offence had risen in March, 2020, from a maximum three months imprisonment to two years imprisonment.
Judge Bolstad said she knew the loss of his firearms licence was a “big thing” for a young man who loved to hunt and that the conviction would undoubtedly affect his ability to get a firearms licence in future. However, given the issues this community had in terms of firearms, Lee-Broughton had to take more care, the judge said.
“That (firearms) licence was given to you, not anyone else, and this incident raises what can occur when you delegate that responsibility to someone else.”
The judge accepted it was unlikely Lee-Broughton would appear again in court.
An order was made for forfeiture of the rifle and ammunition.
