A 32-year-old Bunbury man will spend Christmas behind bars after being sentenced to eight months in prison for a number of drug and firearm charges earlier this year.
Kris Iloski pleaded guilty to seven charges including unlicensed possession of a firearm and ammunition, possession of a concealed weapon and possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia.
On November 28, the Bunbury Magistrates Court heard that Iloski was a passenger in a vehicle which was stopped overnight by police in College Grove.
Conducting a vehicle and persons search, police found three ziplock bags on Iloski with a total of 3.5g of methamphetamine and 1g of cocaine as well as a 9mm handgun and four magazines of ammunition which Mr Iloski claimed ownership for.
The sentencing was the tenth hearing of the charges, however Iloski's guilty pleas were considered early pleas due to a change in a charge from intent to sell illegal drugs to simply possession.
The court was told of Iloski's troubles with drugs, his strong standing within the Bunbury and Collie communities through his work as a scaffolder, and his remorse for his actions.
Iloski's lawyer said, due to issues with substance abuse, he was in a "very bad period of life and "wouldn't have made the same decisions if clean (off drugs)."
The lawyer mentioned Iloski had a history of drug-related charges and substance abuse. However, he had a proven record to make good decisions and "lead a normal life" when he had been in court-ordered substance abuse counselling and rehabilitation programs, the lawyer said.
Magistrate David Maclean accepted that Iloski could stay off drugs while on parole but said the severity of the firearm charge and repeated drug convictions led him to hand down an immediate imprisonment term.
"An unlicensed firearm poses a serious risk to the community," he said.
"I accept the pre-sentence report that rehabilitation might have been positive for you and being consistent enough to make gains and during your engagement with substance abuse counseling you're able to lead a normal life... however, those gains were not remained after the order were not in place."
After reducing Iloski's sentence by 25 per cent due to the early guilty pleas, Magistrate Maclean sentenced Iloski to eight months in prison with eligibility for parole after four months.
Iloski will return to the Bunbury Magistrate Court on December 6 for an bail eligibility hearing in relation to different charges.
