New Zealand- [www.stuff.co.nz]- Porn baron and Auckland mayoral candidate Steve Crow is to go to trial on firearms charges, after a judge refused to guarantee he would be let off without a conviction.

The 50-year-old adult entertainment businessman allegedly fired two pistols while visiting a farm at Whenuapai, West Auckland, in August last year.

He was arrested three days before last year’s Boobs on Bikes parade through Auckland City to promote his upcoming Erotica show.

“I did some target practice on a mate’s farm,” Mr Crow said outside the court.

“(Police) alleged a sheep had been shot … but it died of natural causes.

“They had a vet examine it and he couldn’t say what it died of.”

Police said on the night that if no holes were found in the sheep, he would not be charged.

“It is the last time I’ll cooperate with police. It doesn’t pay,” Crow said.

Crow appeared in Waitakere District Court last week on six firearms related charges, including two of discharging a firearm near a house, two of unlawfully possessing a firearm and two of carrying an offensive weapon.

The judge allowed the hearing to be reported.

Crow’s lawyer Guyon Foley told the court his client was a genuine gun collector and had been delivering the pistols to a buyer at the time of the incident.

While he had broken the rules, his “aberrant” behaviour did not justify being “hobbled” with a conviction, the consequences of which were out of proportion with the offence, he said.

“This was a foolish mistake, or a series of mistakes,” Mr Foley said.

With a conviction Crow would not be able to travel to the United States on business without first applying for a visa and, even then, might be prevented from entering the country.

Judge Lisa Tremewan said she was not in a position to accept Crow’s suggested arrangement as to charges if he was given a guarantee that he would be discharged without conviction.

However, she did offer to ensure a different judge presided over his defended hearing so the case could be argued “afresh”.

A date for the hearing would be set tomorrow.

Crow first hit the headlines over his plans for a controversial porn movie featuring one of the actresses giving birth.

Last month he threw his hat into the mayoralty ring after launching his 1Auckland.com party, invoking the wrath of lobby group One Auckland Trust which claims its name has been hijacked.