A dangerous driver found with a loaded, homemade firearm near Parliament House on Christmas Day has been given a chance to avoid prison, a judge has said.
Michael Gordon Pallier, 36, was sentenced in the ACT Supreme Court on Thursday to a 14-month intensive correction order. Justice Louise Taylor warned that if he breached the order, he could end up behind bars.
Pallier had pleaded guilty to aggravated dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, and possessing an unregistered, prohibited firearm. The charges stem from December 25, 2024, when police saw him driving a motorcycle at high speed along Parkes Way.
He fled police on Commonwealth Avenue, reaching about 120km/h in a 70km/h zone and driving on the wrong side of the road. Police later found his motorbike in the gardens of Parliament House and arrested him nearby. He tested positive for methamphetamine, and officers discovered a homemade, loaded firearm and ammunition in his backpack.
In a letter to the court, Pallier said he had relapsed after letting an old friend stay with him, who brought drugs. Justice Taylor noted Pallier first used cannabis at age eight and alcohol at 10, later moving to methamphetamine and heroin. However, she said he had taken significant steps towards rehabilitation since being granted bail.
