Luke Anthony Shields sentenced to nine months imprisonment for break-in at Golden Guitar Motel and a raft of other charges in Tamworth Local Court

Luke Anthony Shields, 36, fronted Tamworth Local Court on Wednesday on a raft of charges related to a hotel break-in and a family heirloom - his grandmother's gun.

Court documents show Shields went through a break-up in July 2019 and started to drink heavily around that time.

It was the out-of-control drinking that led him to break into a room at the Golden Guitar Motel, Legal Aid solicitor Wendy McAuliffe said.

"Your Honour will see in the pre-sentence report that for a number of years he was going along quite well," she said.

"After the death of his step-father he commenced drinking until it affected his work.

"The relationship at the time ended with unfaithfulness, while that's emotionally hurtful it does not in any way excuse his behaviour - but it's what led to him entering into the motel room."

On February 1, a man and a woman checked were woken up by a strange noise in their room at 3am.

When they woke up, Shields ran from the room, leaving behind fingerprints on the windows, a screwdriver, wires and pliers which he used to remove the fly screen.

A month later, police arrested him, a search warrant was executed and officers found two firearms from his grandmother in his room.

In the main bedroom, police found a small amount of cannabis in a bowl and a large sealed bag inside the wardrobe with 175 grams inside.

Read also:

Shields was charged with the possession of an unauthorised and unregistered firearm; not keeping a firearm safely; drug possession; entering a building with the intent to commit an indictable offence; destroy or damage property; and common assault.

Magistrate Mal MacPherson said he would sentence Shields to nine months imprisonment for the more serious matters, but taking into account his guilty plea, he had found special circumstances and backdated it to June 3.

Eight of the charges were dealt with under a 12-month community corrections order, and a conviction with no penalty was recorded for the drug possession, damage to the window and contravention of an AVO.

Shields is eligible for parole today.