‘Middleman’ admits selling firearms stolen from Hamilton Smallbore Rifle Club

Hastings man Owen Dylakiya, 35, leaves the Hamilton District Court after admitting to receiving and onselling firearms stolen in the burglary of the Hamilton Smallbore Rifle Club last year. Photo / Belinda Feek

After a heist at a rifle club that played out over a series of days, a builder was enlisted as the “middleman” to sell the stolen weapons on behalf of the thieves.

Hastings man Owen Dlyakiya was given four firearms from co-offenders Reuben Wilson and Lilly Quigley who had knocked off a cache of rifles from the Hamilton Smallbore Rifle Club.

Five thousand rounds of ammunition and cash were also stolen by Wilson and Quigley, as their co-offender, Michael van der Heyden, remained stationed outside as the “lookout”.

While the trio will be sentenced in October, Dlyakiya, 35, will be sentenced in September after he appeared in Hamilton District Court today and admitted his involvement.

He pleaded guilty to charges of receiving firearms valued at $2400, unlawful possession of firearms, unlawful possession of ammunition, and offering to sell and supply firearms to non-licensed people.

Dlyakiya’s offending was straightforward; he was to sell the stolen property on behalf of Wilson and Quigley.

He was given four .22 rifles and 1000 rounds of ammunition, along with 12-gauge shotgun ammunition.

Two of the rifles given to Dlyakiya were sold but police have been unable to recover the remaining two.

Of the 14 firearms stolen, five have not been found.

The Hamilton Smallbore Rifle Club

The Hamilton Smallbore Rifle Club has a target shooting range and a gun safe that contained 14 .22 calibre rifles, cash, and tools, while a smaller safe had 5000 rounds of .22 ammunition.

Hamilton police have recovered nine of the 14 guns stolen from the Hamilton Smallbore Rifle Club. Photo / NZ Police

Quigley and Wilson travelled to the club multiple times between October 21 and November 11 last year, while van der Heyden met them there and stationed himself outside as “the lookout”.

Through several attempts over several days, Quigley and Wilson were able to force open the exterior door of the club, and then another door inside.

Then they tried to get into the club’s safes using a grinder, discs, and crowbars but each method proved unsuccessful.

So the trio returned later with what’s described as “heavier equipment” which they used to cut a hole in the base of the larger safe that was then wrenched open, allowing Quigley to crawl inside.

Once she was inside, the firearms were passed out, and the smaller safe was removed.

The contents of both safes, worth about $10,000, were put into Wilson’s car. The firearms were taken to a rural property and tested.

Lilly Karen Quigley, 28, crawled through the hole made in a safe by her co-offender to get her hands on a smaller safe containing ammunition belonging to the Hamilton Smallbore Rifle Club. Photo / Belinda Feek

There were attempts to sell the firearms “in the community” in exchange for methamphetamine.

Wilson and Quigley, 28, also admitted the burglary of the Riverglade Archery Club, sometime between October 8 and 27 last year.

They broke into a container by cutting the padlock and, on another occasion, cut the entire reinforced locking mechanism.

Twelve bows, 72 arrows, eight sights, two metal detectors, and a cash box were stolen, valued at about $8000.

Attempts were also again made to trade the equipment for meth.

Belinda Feek is an Open Justice reporter based in Waikato. She has worked at NZME for nine years and has been a journalist for 20.