Six months' jail for bikie over weapon

A BLACK Uhlan member has been sentenced to six months' jail wholly suspended after police found a loaded semi-automatic handgun stashed in a TV cabinet in his Gold Coast home.

Nathan Fearnstone, 31, claimed he was holding the 9mm gun for a friend when police raided his Benowa home on June 25.

The search came after police pulled over Fearnstone in his black Holden Commodore ute and found him hiding two phials of testosterone in his underpants.

At his home police also found nine grams of cannabis in clip seal bags, a further 20g in a coffee tin and drug utensils including a grinder and a bong.

Fearnstone's lawyer Bill Potts said Fearnstone was a former mine worker who had injured himself and was on a disability pension.

He said the cannabis and testosterone were solely for personal use.

The court was told Fearnstone had agreed to hold the gun for a friend and now regretted the decision.

"He has expressed remorse for his foolishness," Mr Potts said.

He said the community was understandably concerned about weapons being in the public domain but he emphasised the gun was found in a private, locked home and concealed in a drawer.

"There are no allegations it was used in a criminal enterprise," he said.

Magistrate Terry Duroux noted Fearnstone had no criminal history and there appeared to be no 'sinister overtones' around the gun possession.

However he said possession of illegal weapons would not be tolerated by the courts or the community.

"The courts must be certain to send a clear message that the community will not tolerate this behaviour in any shape or form," he said.

Fearnstone was sentenced to six months' jail suspended immediately for a period of two years.

He will return to court on September 13 on a separate charge of assault.