A judge says it is “something of an enigma” how a young man from a good background got involved in a scheme providing modified pistols for the criminal underworld.

Zackery Sinclair Knox, 25, was last year caught by the Operation Carbine police investigation, which focused on the buying and selling of a particular type of rifle favoured by criminals because they can easily be cut down into revolvers.

The criminal scheme involved “straw buyers” – legitimate firearms licence holders such as Knox – who legally bought the Alfa Carbine rifles but passed them onto Kishor Chandra Singh, a former Hells Angel with a lengthy criminal history.

Singh shortened the barrels and cut off the stocks. This effectively converted the revolver-action long rifles with a chambered cylinder into handguns that could be easily used and concealed.

Intercepted cellphone communications revealed some of the firearms sourced in Napier were destined for Auckland, where there was a spike in gang-related gun crimes in May and June last year.

Knox appeared in the Napier District Court on Friday having pleaded guilty to a representative charge of unlawfully possessing a firearm, and possessing ammunition.

He was sentenced to nine months home detention.

Kishor Singh was the mastermind of a scheme providing modified pistols to criminal groups. Photo / Warren Buckland

A Crown summary of facts said Knox was introduced to Singh, who is now serving 6½ years in prison, by an intermediary, Jesse Wiggins.

They negotiated and agreed a fee of $500 a gun to obtain the carbines and ammunition for Singh. Both Knox and Wiggins knew Singh did not have a firearms licence.

On three dates in April 2022, Knox bought a total of six Alfa carbines in various calibres and 500 rounds of ammunition from Gun City in Napier.

Singh provided more than $13,000 for him to make the purchases.

Defence counsel Matthew Phelps argued for home detention for Knox, saying he was a dedicated father, a good partner and was self-employed with a business helping with cyclone recovery.

Phelps said Knox had been assessed as having a low risk of reoffending.

Judge Richard Earwaker also noted Knox’s good family support, self-employment and stable relationship.

The judge said Knox’s only previous offending was an intentional damage charge. The latest offending was out of character and “something of an enigma”.

“It is difficult to see why you became involved in this offending beyond the explanation you gave yourself – there was some impulsivity, which is common in people your age,” Judge Earwaker said.

Once Knox became involved, the judge said, it was difficult for him to back out.

Crown prosecutor Brenna McKenzie obtained an order for the destruction of the weapons.

Singh, previously described as the mastermind of the operation, is known to have obtained 21 firearms in Napier using several firearms licence holders to buy them.

The other men involved have been dealt with separately by the court.

Wiggins was sentenced to six months home detention in May.

Knox’s intentional damage conviction, in 2015, followed an incident in which he drove a car onto the Hereworth School sports fields in Havelock North late one night, and ripped them up doing burnouts.

For that offence, he was sentenced to 40 hours community work and ordered to pay $800 reparation for the damage he caused.

Ric Stevens spent many years working for the former New Zealand Press Association news agency, including as a political reporter at Parliament, before holding senior positions at various daily newspapers. He joined NZME’s Open Justice team in 2022 and is based in Hawke’s Bay. His writing in the crime and justice sphere is informed by four years of front-line experience as a probation officer.