Gus Lamont’s grandmother Josie Murray sentenced over silencer found during police search

A grandparent of missing four-year-old Gus Lamont has appeared in court for the first time since the boy’s disappearance on unrelated firearms charges.

Josie Murray faced Adelaide Magistrates Court on Friday, where she was sentenced after pleading guilty to acquiring, owning or possessing a sound moderator - a device better known as a silencer or suppressor.

The item, used to reduce the noise from gunshots, was found in the strong room during a search of the property in the hunt for Gus on January 15.

The 75-year-old was charged in February and pleaded guilty to the charge in writing ahead of Friday’s sentencing.

The court was told Ms Murray had owned the silencer legally for several years but did not inform authorities she had it when the law changed in 2017, requiring permission.

Ms Murray’s lawyer Andy Ey said it had been a “very difficult time” for his client.

“To address the elephant in the room, this has been an extremely difficult time for her family - her grandson went missing last year,” he said.

“This is a serious matter, but it is not some James Bond movie where a villain or assassin is walking around corners taking out targets with barely the whisper of a gun.”

She was fined $10,500 and disqualified from gun ownership for five years.

Little Gus has been missing from the family cattle station, Oak Park Station, since September 27, 2025.

Police returned to search the remote station for the 11th time last month, but despite spending three days on the ground, no new evidence was found.

Following the latest search efforts, Detective Superintendent Darren Fielke said police had found no evidence that Gus had been abducted.

The charges against Ms Murray followed one of the 11 visits by investigators to the remote property.

However, the charges are not in any way connected to the youngster’s disappearance.

More to come...