Scott Pearce, 25, has been jailed for possessing stolen firearms, ammunition and drugs – uncovered by police who searched his unit after a five-hour siege on March 9.

The standoff followed a brawl between a group of men outside the Black Hill unit complex earlier in the day.

Pearce pleaded guilty to possessing stolen firearms and ammunition, and cultivating and possessing 13 cannabis plants.

Police prosecutor Senior Constable Vicki Chaffey yesterday told the Ballarat Magistrates Court that police were called to Pearce’s unit after he became involved in a dispute with a group of men at 8am.

Police were called to the complex by neighbours and arrested Pearce as he left the unit, before taking him to Ballarat Base Hospital, where he was treated for facial injuries sustained in the brawl.

Police found two stolen rifles and two boxes of ammunition, stolen from a vehicle in Ballarat East, and 13 immature cannabis plants growing in a side yard.

Senior Constable Chaffey said that when asked about the weapons, Pearce said he had woken from a dream of having guns hidden under his mattress, only to realise it wasn’t a dream.

“He stated he didn’t know where they came from, but they were probably stolen,” Senior Constable Chaffey said.

Defence lawyer David Tamanika said Pearce hadn’t sought out or paid for the guns, or displayed them in any concerning way, and when police had asked to search the unit, his client volunteered.

He said Pearce had just been released from prison and was making positive steps with his life. Mr Tamanika asked Pearce be placed on a corrections order. 

But magistrate Ian Von Einem said the community was currently concerned about people having unauthorised firearms.

“You’ve offered no reason why you’ve got them and your only excuse is you were intoxicated when the police came,” he said.

Pearce was sentenced to a jail term of four months, with two months suspended.