An Australian police officer who threatened to shoot his colleague over Top Gun: Maverick spoilers has been sentenced, the local media reported.
Dominic Francis Gaynor took his weapon out of the holster and pointed it at 26-year-old probationary constable Morgan Royston after he told Mr Gaynor that he had already watched the Tom Cruise-starrer and would give out a spoiler.
Constable Gaynor, 30, responded by saying “Don’t spoil the movie, c***. I’ll shoot you”, according to the court documents cited by Australian media outlets.
The incident took place in May. After this episode, Mr Royston left the police force and reportedly struggled with depression.
On Thursday, a court handed Mr Gaynor a two-year good behaviour bond and a conviction, ABC News reported.
The court documents said Mr Gaynor “pointed his firearm at the vicinity of the complainant and held it stationary for five seconds”.
“The offender’s finger was on the receiver and not the trigger. The offender was laughing throughout this incident.”
Mr Gaynor has pleaded guilty to carrying a firearm with disregard for the complainant’s safety.
Mr Royston told the court that he would never forget the “overwhelming shock and fear” he felt when Mr Gaynor took out his gun.
“I have completely lost the trust I had and my admiration for the NSW Police Force,” he said.
“When I see a police officer now, I feel compelled to watch them and check their hand is not on their firearm.”
Chris Micali, Mr Gaynor’s lawyer, said his client made an awful mistake. “This is a case where the skylarking and tomfoolery in an employment context has gone awry,” he told the court.
He said Mr Gaynor was “remorseful”.
Magistrate Michael Maher stated that there was a “power imbalance” between the defendant and his more junior colleague. He noted that there had been “an unfortunate lapse of judgement” which was “not representative of his [Mr Gaynor’s] true character”.
