Dylan William Dutschke, of Oxley Street in Nyngan, was made eligible for release from prison on January 30, after being found guilty of a string of rural crime offences at Nyngan Local Court.

The spree began in March 2019, when Dutschke broke into a property on Pangee Road and used a grinder to gain access to a gun safe, stealing nine firearms along with a number of tools and ammunition, which the court heard was "not motivated by greed, but directly related to his ice addiction".

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The spree continued in August 2019, when Dutschke was involved in another break and enter at a property in Mullengudery, where three firearms were stolen.

The court heard Dutschke acted as the lookout during this offence, and helped the co-accused hide the stolen property.

According to facts tendered in court, the two co-accused involved in the break and enter had placed two of the stolen rifles in the back of Dutschke's ute in August 2019, and informed Dutschke they were selling them to a person in Nyngan.

Facts said Dutschke did not receive any money from the sale, and "had no knowledge at the time the co-accused had sold the rifles". The firearms were later recovered in June 2020.

In September 2019, police searched Dutschke's home and discovered a Miroku lever action rifle in a gun safe, which was stolen from a property on Pangee Road, in March 2019. In December 2019, Dutschke's property was searched again where police located a Carl Gustaf bolt action rifle that had been stolen from a station in Mullengudery.

During this, in October 2019 Dutschke, along with another co-accused, was caught on a property in Nymagee driving his Toyota Landcruiser, with a four wheeled motorbike strapped to the rear, along with a trailer containing 20 highland feral goats.

Court documents revealed Dutschke and the co-accused didn't have permission to be on the property and said they were there to "trap and capture highland goats to sell to a goat depot".

Police facts tendered in court expressed the severity of the drought at the time of the offence, meant the illegal hunting of these goats had an "enormous impact on these farmers' abilities to make a living".

In May 2020, Dutschke was caught again on a property hunting without consent, when his ute got bogged at a station on Pangee Road.

Dutschke and a co-accused "both appeared nervous" when they asked property workers if police had been called. The pair tried to get the ute free, before abandoning it and heading back home through the scrub.

Dutschke, who had been on bail for seven separate charges relating to rural crime, was reporting to police on June 1, 2020 when he was arrested and taken into custody.

At Nyngan Local Court in January Dutschke's defence barrister Meredith Ziegler said his criminal history was limited, and a sentencing assessment report demonstrated he was remorseful and understood the impact of his offending.

"He's no mastermind criminal, often a follower," Ms Ziegler told the court.

In a letter to the court, Dutschke explained he recognised the role his drug use had on him making poor choices of friends, and had since cut them off.

"Since being in custody he's stopped using illicit substances, he's been focusing on the gym and becoming healthy," Ms Ziegler said.

"He says it was the wake up call he needed to break the cycle, and he wants to turn his life around.

"He has good prospects of rehabilitation and is unlikely to re-offend in the future."

Ms Ziegler told the court since he's been incarcerated he's been assaulted and threatened due to his disclosures to police about his offending.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Jason Kempa argued however, there was only one interpretation for stealing the goats, which was for financial gain.

"A message needs to be sent to the community," he said.

At Nyngan Local Court, Dutschke pleaded guilty to a string of charges including two counts of enter private land to hunt an animal without consent, three counts of use or supply a stolen firearm or part, supply or give ammunition to a person not authorised to, not keep firearm safely, aggravated break and enter, break and enter house steal value less than $60,0000 and posses a prohibited drug.

Magistrate Malcom MacPherson convicted and sentenced Dutschke to an aggregate term of imprisonment for 16 months, with a non-parole period of eight months, backdated to May 31, 2020. He was eligible for release on January 30.

For the two counts of entering private land without owner consent he was convicted and given a 12-month community corrections order.