Man who shot victim in face for being intimate with girlfriend jailed
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The man was jailed for more than two years by the ACT Supreme Court. (ABC News: Callum Flinn)
In short:
Bradley John Wilson has been jailed for using a home-made shotgun to shoot a man at close range in March last year, seriously injuring his face and shoulder.
The court heard Wilson had wanted to "exact retribution" against the man for being intimate with his girlfriend, who also lured the victim to the home under the pretence of wanting to buy drugs.
What's next?
Wilson will be eligible for parole from March 2027, accounting for the time he has already served.
A man who shot a drug dealer because he had been intimate with his girlfriend has been jailed for more than two years by the ACT Supreme Court.
The court heard Bradley John Wilson wanted to "exact retribution" on the victim when he used a home-made shotgun to shoot him at close range in March last year, seriously injuring his face and shoulder.
Wilson's then-girlfriend had lured the victim to the home in Lyneham in Canberra's north under the pretence of buying drugs from him, the court heard.
The attack happened on the same day Wilson was released from custody in relation to other matters.
The court heard that Wilson held a belief that the victim had been intimate with his girlfriend while he was imprisoned and was motivated to "exact retribution."
Offender suffering from 'profound grief disorder'
Wilson, 26, has been on remand since the incident occurred.
He pleaded guilty to two offences, including discharging a firearm and joint commission of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, with the court also considering a less serious charge of unlawful possession of a firearm.
Justice Andrew Muller said Wilson's offending and his prior anti-social behaviour were closely linked to the "extreme and profound" impact of the death of Wilson's mother when he was a child.
The court heard the 26-year-old was suffering from "prolonged grief disorder" after his mother was killed in a car driven by Wilson's father, who had swerved to avoid a kangaroo.
He had helped remove his mother from the wreckage, Justice Muller said, which marked the onset of his substance abuse, including a "pathological" pattern of behaviour associated with his amphetamine and cannabis use.
The judge said he accepted Wilson's letter of apology and expression of genuine remorse, despite scepticism from prosecutors about whether he was genuine.
Wilson was sentenced to two years and nine months' in jail for the three offences, with a non-parole period of one year and six months.
But because Wilson's offending occurred while he was subject to two separate good behaviour orders for unrelated offending, an additional six months was added to his sentence.
Wilson will be eligible for parole from March 2027, accounting for the time he has already served.
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