Joshua Hope, of no fixed address, stole eight firearms which were securely locked in two sheds in Donald in December. He sold three of the guns to a man in Mildura while another was sold to a man in Delacombe.

Hope was a prohibited person to possess a firearm because he was on a community corrections order and had a range of prior convictions.

He was sentenced to three years and six months' imprisonment via a video link at the County Court of Victoria on Wednesday.

IN OTHER NEWS

Judge Gerard Mullaly said courts must be firm on anyone embarking on the theft of firearms, telling Hope he had stepped into the big league with his criminal offending.

"This is serious and different offending and the fact you committed it in order to get drugs does not lower your moral culpability," the judge told Hope.

Hope attended the Donald properties on separate days while he was driving to Mildura to meet a friend he had been in prison with.

He entered an unlocked shed at the first property, forced entry to a firearm safe and stole five guns. Hope then stole $35 worth of fuel from a vehicle. His fingerprints were located near the gun safe.

Later in December, Hope drove to Donald and attended another property where he stole three firearms, 500 rounds of shotgun ammunition, shotgun shells and a blue Esky.

In another incident between December 14 and 15, Hope and a co-accused stole a Hilux utility from the Haddon reserve. They intended to "milk" fuel from the $30,000 vehicle but found the keys sitting on the rear tyre and drove away in it.

Hope, an unlicensed driver, attended a Learmonth Road service station in Wendouree in a Holden Commodore registered to his girlfriend. He had a Beretta shotgun in the boot.

When Hope left the service station store, he saw a police vehicle and fled. Police discovered the shotgun, 12 grams of cannabis, bongs, a set of scales and small knife inside the Holden Commodore.

Police then executed a search warrant at Hope's co-accused's Beaufort house and found the pair hiding in a bedroom ensuite.

Officers found one of the stolen guns, ammunition inside a blue Esky, Hilux keys and ammunition scattered on the floor.

All eight stolen firearms were eventually recovered.

Judge Mullaly said he did not accept Hope's explanation he happened to burgle the two sheds, and not the house, and came across the firearms.

"If it was to get fuel, it seems a strange way to go about it," Judge Mullaly said.

"You were engaged in trafficking to others who bought them (firearms) for criminal purposes. You knew what you were doing."

The judge said although Hope was assessed as suitable for youth detention, he would sentence him to an adult prison because he was showing good prospects for reform in the adult prison.

Hope's grandmother and parents both said in letters tendered to the court, sending Hope to a youth justice facility would be detrimental to his progress.

"They see where you are now (in an adult prison) as best chance for reform," Judge Mullaly said.

Hope, who will turn 21 in a couple of months, will be eligible for parole in 22 months. He has already served 227 days of his sentence in pre-sentence detention.

He pleaded guilty to 12 charges, including burglary, firearm theft, disposing a traffickable quantity of firearms and being a prohibited person possessing a firearm.

If you are seeing this message you are a loyal digital subscriber to The Courier, as we made this story available only to subscribers. Thank you very much for your support and allowing us to continue telling Ballarat's story. We appreciate your support of journalism in our great city.