The man who strolled through Bourke Street Mall in Melbourne with a gun and dressed in tactical gear has been jailed.
Aaron John Purvis, 27, received national media attention when he was spotted walking through the mall carrying a gun just days after January’s fatal car rampage.
Mr Purvis was not registered to work as an armed security guard or licensed to carry a firearm at the time.
Mr Purvis wiped away tears in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Tuesday as Magistrate David Starvaggi jailed him immediately for 12 months with no parole period.
Aaron John Purvis, 27, was jailed for 12 months on Tuesday for carrying an unlicensed firearm as he walked down Bourke Street Mall in January
The unlicensed armed guard was seen strolling through crowds in Bourke Street Mall, Melbourne, just days after a car rampage killed six people
The 27-year-old was photographed strolling through the iconic Melbourne mall dressed in tactical gear and carrying a handgun
The 27-year-old was photographed strolling through the iconic Melbourne mall dressed in tactical gear and carrying a handgun, just days after six people were killed when Dimitrious Gargasoulas, 30, allegedly drove a car into pedestrians at the shopping district.
The violent incident killed six – including a baby – and hospitalised 31 people.
Three-month-old Zachary Bryant, 10-year-old schoolgirl Thalia Hakin, father Matthew Si, Sydney woman Jess Mudie, finance consultant Bhavita Patel and 25-year-old Japanese man Yosuke Kanno, all died in the rampage.
It was later revealed Mr Purvis was not hired to guard Bourke Street on the day he was seen, but was meant to be working another security shift nearby.
Mr Purvis wiped away tears in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Tuesday as he was sentenced to 12 months in jail, with no parole period
Mr Purvis appeared troubled as he walked into Melbourne Magistrates Court on Tuesday
It was later revealed Mr Purvis was not hired to guard Bourke Street on the day he was seen
The Berwick man was facing 136 charges for various offences, including 67 charges of carrying a handgun without a licence and a further 67 charges of acting as a security guard without a licence.
Mr Purvis is believed to have worked as a guard for armoured vehichles in 2012, and was reportedly fired by one company in 2016.
However, the sacking is believed to be related to his failure to show for shifts, and not problems with his registration as a guard or his firearms licence.
At the time Mr Purvis (pictured) was not registered to work as a security guard or licensed to carry a firearm