No gun licence for molester | National News | Breaking National News in Australia

AN Inglewood man convicted earlier this year of molesting an 11-year-old girl has lost a court bid to retain his firearms licence.

The man, who cannot be named as it could identify his victim, appeared in the Warwick Magistrates Court yesterday with his solicitor who argued he remained a fit and proper holder of the licence.

The matter was brought to court by the Queensland Police weapons licensing branch, whose prosecutor argued that as a result of his recorded criminal conviction the man was in contravention of the Weapons Act.

The man was sentenced in the District Court in May to a 12-month prison term, suspended for nine months, as well as agreeing to pay $5000 in compensation to the family of the victim.

His solicitor argued before Magistrate Anne Thacker there was nothing specific in the Act which precluded his client from continuing to hold a firearms licence, based on the nature of his offence.

But Ms Thacker strongly disagreed, saying anyone subject to a term of imprisonment - suspended or otherwise - could not be allowed to hold such a licence.

The Weapons Act refers to persons convicted of violence and drug offences as being particular individuals failing to meet the “fit and proper person” test.

But it also allows the courts to revoke firearms licences if they deem it necessary in the wider “public interest”, with Ms Thacker stating “the sticking point in my view is the fact of him being a prisoner”, meaning he was someone who was “on his very best behaviour and under scrutiny”.

The defendant in the matter will be able to apply for the reinstatement of his firearms licence after May 7 next year when his suspended prison sentence is scheduled to conclude.