Gus Lamont's Grandparent Fined $10,500 for Gun Silencer Possession, Unrelated to Child's Disappearance

Josie Rachelle Murray, 75, appeared in Adelaide Magistrates Court on Friday and pleaded guilty to one aggravated charge of possessing a sound moderator — commonly known as a gun silencer — found in a passcode-protected strongroom at the family's Oak Park Station near Yunta in South Australia's far north. The device was discovered during a search of the property in January 2026, shortly after police declared the disappearance of her four-year-old grandson Gus Lamont a major crime. Prosecutors noted Murray had possessed the silencer before it became illegal in 2017 and failed to surrender it for over eight years, though they conceded there was no evidence it was kept for any nefarious purpose. Murray also has a prior conviction from 2010 related to unsecured firearms that were stolen from her property by a trespasser who later committed serious offences. Defence counsel Andrew Ey argued the charge involved a sound moderator rather than an unlicensed firearm, described the item as merely reducing the 'bark' of a .22 rifle, and noted the period had been extremely difficult for his client given Gus's disappearance. Magistrate Roderick Jensen imposed the $10,500 fine and a five-year firearms licence disqualification, well below the maximum penalty of $75,000 or up to 10 years in jail. Outside the court, Murray was captured on camera lashing out at reporters, knocking over an ABC journalist and grabbing and discarding a microphone sock, as police continue to list her as the sole suspect in Gus's disappearance with no remains or evidence yet found despite searches covering nearly 500 square kilometres.