A gun licence holder who supplied firearms to a Taupō methamphetamine dealer and gang member 'voluntarily, willingly and gladly” was told it was hard to imagine more serious offending – before being sentenced to nine months home detention.

Ricky Shane Galliers, 43, received the sentence at Rotorua District Court after pleading guilty to one charge of supplying a firearm to an unlicensed holder, and one charge of conspiring to supply firearms.

Galliers' offending came to light thanks to police surveillance, which included tracking devices and intercepting communications of Taupō methamphetamine dealer Gordon McRae back in December 2020.

The summary of facts for McRae, who was jailed for five years and four months in August, revealed he 'used his relationship with two associates who held their own firearm licences and convinced them to purchase firearms on his behalf”.

'The firearms that were acquired by the defendant were subsequently on sold on the black market and are now in the hands of unlicensed individuals involved in the criminal environment.”

The other associate, Christopher Philpott, was originally jailed for 13 months until a successful appeal, citing 'very unusual circumstances”, saw his sentence quashed and replaced with seven months home detention.

In sentencing Galliers', Judge Paul Mabey QC said he accepted the Crown submission that 'it is hard to imagine more serious offending than what you did”.

'You supplied a person, who you knew was a gang member, with lethal weapons and did so in a covert and underhand way,” he said.

'You did it for reward and your claims to acting under duress do not hold water ... the summary of facts would suggest to me that you were obtaining and getting weapons for Mr McRae voluntarily, willingly and gladly.”

The pair contravened gun licence laws in a simple way - McRae gave Galliers an eftpos card and $2500 to purchase a rifle and ammunition, also placing an order for five more firearms.

'This is so far away from duress to make it an incredible story,” Mabey said at sentencing in November.

'You and Mr McRae went home, he took possession of the weapons that had been purchased. You received a Kawasaki motorbike for your efforts.”

The summary of facts for McRae's offending noted the firearms he acquired via Galliers' and Philpott 'were subsequently on sold on the black market and are now in the hands of unlicensed individuals involved in the criminal environment”.

Police said at the time that none of the weapons had been recovered.

Galliers' summary noted that while he was unable to acquire pistols on his licence, he did order carbines that 'were able to be cut down to pistol configuration, and you knew it”.

-Stuff/Benn Bathgate.