Jesse James Babarovich, 26, of Shepparton, pleaded guilty in Shepparton Magistrates’ Court to possessing a traffickable amount of firearms, possessing a firearm without a serial number, possessing a silencer, possessing cartridge ammunition, possessing an imitation firearm, and possessing a firearm while unlicensed and failing to store it securely.
He also pleaded guilty to dishonest retention of stolen goods, possessing a prohibited weapon, possessing steroids, committing an indictable offence while on bail, and failing to give access to a phone when directed to.
Prosecutor Senior Constable Ethan Hamill told the court police went to Babarovich’s then-Carson St home to do a Firearm Prohibition Order Compliance check on another man who lived there on August 2 last year.
He said when police searched a car they say belongs to Mr Babarovich, they found a Winchester .44 rifle, a Browning under-over shotgun, a Howa .223 rifle, two air rifles, a silencer and a large amount of ammunition of various calibres.
The guns were wrapped in clothes in the boot of the car, Sen Constable Hamill said.
The court heard the Browning shotgun had been stolen from a property at Naring in January 2023, while the serial number on the Howa .223 rifle had been ground off.
The Winchester had also been reported as missing from the gun collection of a deceased estate in Shepparton.
Police also allegedly seized a crossbow, laser pointer and five vials of steroids from the car, and three bullets from an unlocked safe in a common area of the house.
Babarovich’s defence solicitor Shana McDonald told the court her client was still young and “had limited interaction with the criminal justice system” and asked that he be sentenced to a community corrections order.
She said while Babarovich accepted that “the umber of firearms was concerning”, she said they were “not connected to any criminal activity”.
Ms McDonald also said the guns were found at Babarovich’s home and were “not out in the community”.
She also said his age, lack of criminal priors, family support and compliance while on bail all showed he had good prospects of rehabilitation.
Ms McDonald said her client was also approved for admission to a residential rehabilitation program.
Sen Constable Hamill, however, asked for a sentence that combined a prison term and a community corrections order.
“He has possessed multiple firearms, some stolen, defaced or with the serial number removed,” he said.
“And there is no reason to possess a silencer.”
Magistrate Peter Mithen ordered a community corrections assessment be done on Babarovich.
He will return to court to be sentenced later this month.
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