Josie Murray, the grandmother of missing four-year-old Gus Lamont, has been fined $10,500 after pleading guilty to possessing a gun silencer, an offence unrelated to the boy's disappearance eight months ago.
Court Hearing
Murray appeared in Adelaide Magistrates Court on Friday, where she pleaded guilty to one aggravated charge of possessing a sound moderator, commonly known as a gun silencer. The 75-year-old was charged following a search of the family's Oak Park station homestead in South Australia's far north on 15 January.
Prosecutor Tania Stevens informed the court that the silencer was found inside a passcode-protected strongroom alongside several firearms, including one that had been modified to fit the device. Stevens also noted that Murray had a prior conviction in 2010 for failing to securely store firearms, after a fugitive trespassed onto the property and stole an unsecured firearm. That individual later committed serious offences with the weapon before taking his own life.
Defence Argument
Defence lawyer Andy Ey argued that two non-working firearms were taken during the earlier incident, while a third was stolen from Murray's aunt's property later that day. The trespasser used that third firearm to end his life. Ey described it as an extremely traumatic event for the family, with Murray's aunt being held hostage.
Addressing what he called "the elephant in the room," Ey acknowledged the immense difficulty Murray has faced since her grandchild went missing on the property in late last year. He urged Magistrate Roderick Jensen to reject the prosecution's call for a custodial sentence, emphasizing that this was not a case of a villain or assassin using a silencer for nefarious purposes. The maximum penalty for the offence is $75,000 or up to 10 years in jail.
Sentence
Magistrate Jensen imposed a fine of $10,500 and disqualified Murray from holding a firearms licence for five years.
Background on Gus Lamont's Disappearance
Gus was last seen playing at the family's Oak Park station on 27 September. On 5 February, South Australia Police declared his disappearance a major crime, stating that someone living at the station was a suspect in the case and his likely death, though his parents were not suspects. The following day, the grandmothers released a statement expressing their full cooperation with the investigation and their desire to find Gus and reunite him with his parents.
The search for Gus has covered almost 500 square kilometres, involving hundreds of police and volunteers, aerial support, and mounted units, but has failed to locate the boy or any of his belongings.
