By Rachel Moore of 
William Burr was sentenced to 400 hours community work and six months' community detention. File image. Photo: CHRISTEL YARDLEY/STUFF
A farmer who used his shotgun to "gain control" before beating and cutting off the finger of a teenage home intruder has been sentenced for firearms charges.
William Bruce Burr, 67, appeared in Hamilton's High Court on Tuesday after pleading guilty to three charges - possessing a non-prohibited firearm without a licence, unlawfully possessing a firearm, and unlawfully possessing ammunition.
Justice Kiri Tahana said firearms were "inherently dangerous" and Burr's were kept - unsecured and loaded - in his Piopio family home, in King Country.
He was sentenced to 400 hours of community work and six months' community detention and, though considered low-risk, reportedly showed no remorse.
William Burr was judged low-risk but showed no remorse and had a sense of entitlement in that he was justified in using his firearm during the break-in, a pre-sentence report said. Photo: CHRISTEL YARDLEY/STUFF
The first charge was related to a Game King semi-automatic shotgun gifted to Burr by his father on his 15th birthday.
Burr used the gun to "gain control" when two people invaded his home on 1 October, 2020 - the subject of a criminal trial in which he and his son were found not guilty of numerous charges.
The gun was kept loaded in a cupboard in his bedroom and was not secured. It was taken by police after the home invasion.
Burr returned to his house with police to grab some clothing after the incident, and officers noticed ammunition on a table in the hallway.
They searched the property and found a Remington shotgun leaned against a desk in the dining room, loaded with four cartridges.
Philip Morgan KC said the second shotgun was given to Burr by family members who were concerned about his safety.
There had been rumours that people connected to the home invader would retaliate, he said.
Morgan said Burr had owned his Game King shotgun for more than half a century without incident, and lived in a rural area where only he could access it.
He said Burr did not think about getting a licence for the gun because it was only for duck shooting and killing the odd possum.
And Burr did not even shoot his firearm during the "extraordinary" home invasion when he was faced with a teenager who had stolen from him three times before and who was younger and bigger, he said.
The teen had just smashed an empty wine bottle on Burr's head, and was in the house with an acquaintance, had a knife, and later admitted trying to get up to stab Burr.
Morgan argued there was no criminality, and a fine should be imposed.
Justice Tahana said the firearms were loaded and kept in an unlocked cupboard in Burr's family home, where children were present.
"Firearms are inherently dangerous," she said.
She used a starting point of 20 months' imprisonment, but did not believe jail time was appropriate.
A pre-sentence report said Burr was low-risk, but that he showed no remorse and had a sense of entitlement in that he was justified in using his firearm during the break-in.
He received no discount for remorse, but got a 25 percent credit for pleading guilty at the earliest opportunity.
Justice Tahana believed a sentence of community service and community detention would hold Burr accountable, denounce his actions, provide deterrence, and protect the community.
The end sentence of 400 hours' community service and six months' community detention was to be served concurrently.
In a May trial relating to the beating and finger-cutting during the 2020 home invasion, a jury found Burr and his son Shaun Burr not guilty of all charges after the pair argued it was self-defence.
They had both been charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and wounding with intent to injure, maiming with intent to injure, and maiming with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
William Burr had also been charged with assaulting a female and assaulting with intent to injure.
This story was originally published on Stuff.
