The girlfriend of former Kings Cross nightclub boss John Ibrahim has been found not guilty of two weapons possession crimes.
But the Sydney jury remains undecided on a third charge that she unlawfully possessed a pistol in her Sydney apartment.
Model and restaurateur Sarah Budge, 29, pleaded not guilty to all three charges, arguing she had no knowledge a stolen and defaced Glock 26 pistol and a loaded magazine were hidden in her bedroom wardrobe.
The pistol and loaded magazine were found by police in her Double Bay unit in August 2017.
After a two-week District Court trial and days of deliberations, the jury of six men and six women on Tuesday returned unanimous not guilty verdicts to possessing a defaced pistol and possessing a prohibited weapon, being the magazine, without a permit.
No verdict has yet been reached on a third charge of unlawfully possessing a firearm.
Budge testified to having no knowledge of the items, saying she had confronted her boyfriend over the gun after her arrest.
She said he told her while he knew how a pistol came to be in her apartment, he refused to tell her more, saying she was in enough trouble as it was.
Prosecutor Christopher Taylor queried why Budge would remain in a relationship with a man who put her in that position and said she tried to “pull the wool over” their eyes by claiming she had no idea how the gun got there.
However, Budge’s lawyer Simon Buchen said she wasn’t on trial for having a relationship with Mr Ibrahim.
He said the conversation was typical of the couple’s relationship, in which Ibrahim would often treat his girlfriend “with contempt”.
“You may not respect that, that may not be your ideal relationship, but that is her relationship,” Mr Buchen said in his closing address on Thursday.
“She’s not on trial for having a relationship with Mr Ibrahim … the human heart doesn’t always obey the rules of logic.”
The argument was echoed by Judge David Arnott, who told jurors it would be “illogical” and “wrong” to assume Budge is guilty because of her association with Mr Ibrahim.
“This is not a court of morals, it is a court of law,” he said.
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