In an act of retribution, a freshly released inmate lured a drug dealer to a house before shooting him in the face with a homemade shotgun.
Bradley John Wilson, 26, was sentenced in the ACT Supreme Court on Wednesday, August 19. He appeared via audio-visual link from the Alexander Maconochie Centre.
Justice Andrew Muller said the impact of the shooting on the victim "would have been significant" causing physical injuries and ongoing psychological trauma.
Wilson had only been released from jail for previous crimes that day when, on March 21, 2025, he and others decided to "enact retribution," the judge said.
Believing the victim had been intimate with his girlfriend while he was in jail, Wilson decided to "lure" the man to a Lyneham home.
The victim travelled to the home believing Wilson's girlfriend wanted to buy drugs from him, but after he sat down on a couch the freshly released inmate emerged with a homemade shotgun.
The 26-year-old shot the other man at close range causing injuries to his face and shoulder.
The court heard Wilson had conceded he was "paranoid and angry after using crystal methamphetamine" that day.
Wilson had previously pleaded guilty to discharging a firearm at another person and joint commission assault occasioning actual bodily harm. A charge of unlawful possession of a firearm was taken into account.
The shooter was in breach of two good behaviour orders, for unrelated crimes, after being released on a suspended sentence on the day of the attack.
On Wednesday, Justice Muller imposed the remainder of the sentence meaning Wilson was handed a total of three years and three months jail time.
He has been in custody, with bail denied, since March 2025 and will be eligible for parole in 2027.
The judge found that there was "reasonable likelihood of a causal connection" between Wilson's drug use, the crimes, and his mother's unexpected death in a car accident when he was a child.
A psychologist had opined that the man had substance abuse disorder and prolonged grief disorder arising from his mother's death.
Justice Muller said Wilson had expressed genuine remorse in a letter he wrote to the court.
