A man who allegedly harboured stolen guns will remain behind bars after a judge heard he previously attempted to conceal evidence of a "cowardly" murder.
Tavake Lee Pikula, 37, was refused bail in the ACT Magistrates Court on Wednesday after being charged with the unauthorised possession of firearms and receiving stolen property.
The Phillip man is accused of receiving and keeping three allegedly stolen rifles, located by police on Tuesday, in the master bedroom of his home.
A gun safe, which held the rifles, was allegedly taken from a residence in Narrabundah earlier that day and was found, jemmied open with a hammer, at Pikula's house.
Pikula has not been charged with the alleged burglary, which is said to have been carried out using a stolen BMW.
Special magistrate Rebecca Christensen denied the alleged offender's bail application, citing his "previous attempt to conceal or destroy evidence".
The court heard Pikula was sentenced in 2019 to eight months of full-time jail, and to a nine-month good behaviour order, for attempting to conceal evidence with the intention of influencing the outcome of a legal proceeding.
The charge related to the murder of Canberra artist Eden Waugh, who was fatally shot through the door of his Watson home by Peter Forster-Jones in 2016.
Forster-Jones is serving a 30-year jail sentence for the crime and other offences related to violent home invasions, while co-offender Jason Pikula-Carroll is serving a 27-year sentence.
Pikula pleaded guilty nearly five years ago to attempting to remove the shotgun used in the murder from a home, which he failed to do.
In his decision, Justice Michael Elkaim said that while Pikula had known the shotgun was used to commit a crime, he accepted the man didn't know it had been a murder.
On Wednesday, Ms Christensen said she was satisfied there was a real risk that Pikula could interfere with evidence for his latest charges given his previous conviction.
Especially, she said, with the investigation in its "early stages".
Prosecutor Colin Balog, who had opposed the application on several grounds, said there was "much investigating still to be done" in relation to a second unknown man who fled when Pikula was arrested.
Legal Aid lawyer Jeremy Banwell said the question of his client's knowledge would be key, telling the court several people came through Pikula's home on the day of the alleged offending.
Mr Banwell said disproving the possibility someone else brought the allegedly stolen guns into Pikula's house was a "significant hurdle for the prosecution to overcome".
The only words the alleged offender spoke during his court appearance were to supporters sitting in the public gallery as he returned to the court cells.
"Love you, mum," Pikula said.
