UNDER the cover of darkness in the car park of Charlestown swimming pool, Anthony Nugent was waiting to meet with a group of men who wanted to buy a gun.
It was September 5, 2022, and 24 hours later, Nugent, a petty crook well-known in Hamilton South, would be dead, shot in the chest at close range after answering the front door of a unit in Fowler Street.
It was between 8pm and 9pm when Nugent and the other group met, the 57-year-old handed over a hard plastic case in exchange for $15,000 and the buyer immediately got in his car and left.
Several hours later, after Nugent had returned home and given an associate his cut of the cash, those who had been so desperate to purchase the gun realised that it was a fake.
The weapon, which Nugent's associate had sent photos of to the other group before the buy, was a gel blaster, a life-like toy gun.
"This led to a dispute between the parties," according to an agreed statement of facts filed in the case of Nugent's associate, who has admitted to helping facilitate the firearm sale.
That man, who texted an intermediary to organise the purchase of the gun, pleaded guilty last week to supplying a pistol to an unauthorised person.
He remains behind bars and will be sentenced in Newcastle District Court later this year.
It was about 11pm the next day - September 6 - when Nugent answered the front door of the unit and was shot in the chest at close range with a shotgun.
He died at the scene while his partner desperately called triple-zero.
Detectives allege Mr Raad was the shooter, but all three men travelled to Fowler Street before Nugent was gunned down.
The trio have not entered pleas, remain behind bars and will next appear in court on May 15.
The documents tendered in the case of Nugent's associate outline the last few days of the 57-year-old's life, when he was apparently broke and cooking up various "schemes" to come up with some cash.
One of those that crystallized was to sell a firearm and Nugent's associate was reminded of a man he had run into at Community Corrections who had said he knew someone who wanted to buy a gun.
Over the next few days, Nugent's associate and the man had a text exchange where they discussed facilitating the sale of the gun for $15,000 or $18,000 if Nugent was prepared to drive the gun to Sydney and deliver it.
Nugent's associate also sent the man images of a black pistol, which turned out to be the gel blaster, which had been sent to him by Nugent.
"My mate's ready to go, is this 100 [per cent] for 6-7 tonight," the man asked Nugent's associate.
The next night the two groups met in the car park outside Charlestown pool and the case containing the gel blaster was exchanged for $15,000.
The two men who set up the firearm sale took their respective cuts and the men went their separate ways.
The next night Nugent was dead and police were hunting for his killers.
