South West man stole guns and car to trade firearms for drugs before sinking the ute in Manjimup lake

A South West man who stole seven guns and a ute from his employer traded the firearms for drugs before sinking the car in a lake near Manjimup. Daniel John Evans, 35, had been released from prison just five months before spiralling back into a life of crime while working on a farm in Capel as he relapsed into methylamphetamine use. On November 10, he waited in a paddock nearby the on-farm site building where the worker’s guns were kept, and as the other employees left, he pried open the gun safe with a crowbar. He stole seven weapons and loaded them into a work ute and traded the guns for drugs before removing the car’s battery and disposing of it in a lake near Manjimup. On Monday, he pleaded guilty to stealing the guns and the car, as well possessing three or more firearms without authority, while in the Bunbury District Court. The court was told Evans started using meth at the age of 15 and had continued since then with just a few periods of sobriety. Before the November 10 offending, Evans had spent seven years in jail, only being released mid-last year. State prosecutor Gary Huggins said Evans should be returned to prison, with the “very serious” offending landing seven guns in others’ hands, with only one recovered since. The judge agreed, telling the court that while Evans was not the “hardened criminal” involved in organised crime, he had “knowingly and willingly” played a part in the cycle. While some of the guns were smaller firearms used to kill pests, they could still kill a human, the judge said, citing the murder of commissioner Colin Winchester some years ago with a similar rifle as the ones Evans stole. “You traded seven guns for methylamphetamine,” the judge said. “You were entirely willing to hand these guns (over to criminals.) “Clearly when you’re hanging out for the drug, nothing else matters”. The judge sentenced Evans to a three and a half year jail term, but with parole and backdating to account for time spent in custody on the matters, he is already eligible for release. The judge said they hoped Evans hitting “rock bottom, again” would be the motivation he needed to stick with rehabilitation and “claw (his) way back up“. The court was told Evans was keen to enter into a residential rehabilitation facility and apologised to his boss after calling him a “great bloke” who gave him multiple chances, but he eventually “ripped him off” with the offending.