David Jack Peter Sandford, 22, thought the guns were to protect his father.
David Sandford thought he was using his firearms licence to buy rifles, shotguns and ammunition to protect his father, who had come into his life only a few years earlier.
But, in what the 22-year-old later described as a “betrayal”, his father was actually passing the guns on to a Black Power gang associate.
Sandford has now been sentenced for selling firearms to an unlicensed person and selling ammunition to an unlicensed person.
Sandford became the holder of a standard New Zealand firearms licence in 2019 when he was 16.
His biological father, Allan Johnson, had come into his life only three or four years before the offending.
The agreed facts said a Black Power associate messaged Johnson in July 2024, saying his life was in danger. Johnson offered to get guns to help him out.
He told his son about the threats to the man’s life and asked him for help.
Johnson also made out that his own life was at risk if he didn’t help the man.
On July 14, 2024, Sandford picked up his father, and they drove to a Hunting & Fishing store in Botany, East Auckland.
In the store, the father selected two firearms, a Rossi semi-automatic rifle and a Montenegro rifle-shotgun combo.
He also chose 100 rounds of rifle ammunition and 30 shotgun rounds.
At the counter, Sandford presented his licence and paid $1488.91 for the items with cash provided by Johnson.
He then dropped Johnson back at his home with the guns and ammunition.
That same day or the next, Johnson gave the guns and ammunition to his Black Power associate.
Later that month, father and son went to Hunting & Fishing in Westgate and repeated the process.
This time, Johnson selected a Mossberg Maverick and a Churchill pump-action, 12-gauge shotgun and 120 rounds of ammunition.
Not long after he was dropped off at home with the firearms, Johnson told his son they needed more.
Sandford picked him up again, with the recently bought guns in tow, and they went to a Hunting & Fishing store on the North Shore.
There, Johnson chose a Ruger American rifle and 40 rounds of ammunition.
The same licence and cash exchange followed before Johnson told his son to take him to the home of the intended receiver of the guns in Te Atatu Peninsula.
While at the man’s pad, Johnson ground off the guns’ serial numbers with a Dremel power tool.
In exchange for getting the firearms, the Black Power associate gave Sandford a pair of Nike shoes and about $1600.
On the way home, the father and son divided the cash, leaving approximately $1000 for Sandford.
In July 2024, police executed a search of the Black Power associate’s home for unrelated reasons, finding the Churchill pump-action shotgun and Ruger American rifle in the process.
Despite the serial numbers being ground off, police were able to dismantle the shotgun and find a number inside the barrel.
The rifle was also sent for forensic examination.
Both guns were found to have been bought by Sandford.
Police also found various kinds of ammunition, including 154 rounds for a shotgun.
A month later, Sandford’s firearms licence was suspended and then revoked.
Sandford’s lawyer, Sharnita Pratap, argued in the Waitakere District Court that he should not be convicted on the two charges because of his youth and “limited role” in the offending.
He deserved to keep a clean record because his crimes were driven not by money but by a belief that he was being “guided” by his father, Pratap said.
The police opposed discharging him without conviction.
Judge Rebecca Guthrie said Sandford had committed a “breach of trust” by misusing his firearms licence.
She said there was a “blatant disregard” for the licensing system, which existed to ensure the safety of the public, “to ensure that weapons such as these do not end up in the hands of criminals”.
Another factor making the offending more serious was the types of guns Sandford bought, which all had the potential for “real harm”.
The judge admitted there was nothing to suggest the defendant knew the guns were to be used for gang activity.
But she noted that he didn’t check who was getting the guns or whether they were licensed.
“The immediate question would be why the person was not purchasing the firearms themselves.”
The judge accepted that Sandford was involved in the criminal activity out of a misguided sense of loyalty to his father.
He felt obliged to help his father, and did so without really thinking things through, she observed.
She commended Sandford for seeking counselling to deal with the “real impacts” of what he “properly” saw as his father’s betrayal.
Sandford had a crucial role in the “supply chain”, the judge said, as a “straw purchaser”.
Sanford told the court a conviction would cause him shame, embarrassment and a loss of pride.
But the judge said those emotional issues would be a response to his offending, not a conviction, and declined the discharge application.
Judge Guthrie said she had concerns about Sanford’s behaviour as it ultimately put firearms in the hands of criminals.
Sandford acknowledged the seriousness of his offending, and a Corrections report said he was unlikely to get into trouble again.
He was sentenced to 150 hours of community work and 12 months of supervision.
Conditions included not possessing or consuming any alcohol or drugs for that period.
Allan Johnson will be sentenced at Waitakere District Court in July for his role in selling firearms illegally.
Ella Scott-Fleming has been a journalist for three years and previously worked at the Otago Daily Times, Gore Ensign and Metro magazine. She has an interest in court and general reporting. She’s currently based in Auckland, covering justice-related stories.