A part-time soldier has pleaded guilty in the Napier District Court to illegally giving a shotgun to gunman Jan Molenaar.
The gunman killed a police officer and seriously wounded two officers and a civilian on 7 May last year, moments after police began a drug search of his Napier home.
The following day, Molenaar shot himself following a 50-hour siege. A search of his home uncovered an arsenal of 17 firearms, a rocket launcher and a large amount of ammunition.
The court was told on Monday that Kevin Rollinson, a long-time friend of Molenaar, gave him a 12-gauge Winchester shotgun without checking whether he had a firearms licence.
Defence lawyer Philip Jensen told the court Rollinson, 50, has been an active member of the army for 23 years and served in East Timor and the Solomon Islands.
Rollinson will be sentenced on 14 May.
