A man and woman have been jailed after two people were shot at Gateshead during a calculated drug rip.
It was Emmett Sheard who hid the lever-action rifle in his tracksuit pants, whipped it out inside the home, and said "give me your f---ing drugs and your money" just before 2.30am on September 21, 2023.
It was also "instigator" Sheard that fired the gun five times, hitting a man in the arm and causing a life-threatening injury, and striking a woman in the leg, leaving her with a serious wound and lifelong scar.
But Dakota Rhianne Clarke attended the home knowing Sheard had the rifle, she did not withdraw when the firing began, and she physically pushed on a door to pin the man behind it.
A jury found them each guilty of two counts of shooting with intent to cause grievous bodily harm after a trial in Newcastle District Court in July.
On Friday, September 25, Judge Jonathon Priestley sentenced Sheard to a maximum of 10 years behind bars, with a non-parole period of six-and-a-half years.
He handed Clarke a prison term of six years, with a non-parole period of three-and-a-half years.
Sheard will become eligible for release in December 2030 and Clarke can apply for parole from March 2028, with time they have served in custody taken into account.
Judge Priestley said Sheard had a loaded .22 calibre lever-action rifle hidden in his tracksuit pants when he and Clarke arrived at the Gateshead home just before 2.30am on September 21, 2023.
The man inside, who ran an illegal business from the home, was expecting them due to the ruse they had concocted as part of their plan, and let them inside.
Sheard drew the rifle out, presented it to the man, pointed it at him and demanded drugs and money, while the man pushed it away and said "are you f---ing serious".
A struggle broke out and the gun was fired.
The man retreated down the hallway and Sheard fired through the closed door, first hitting the man in the arm then firing again, striking the woman in the leg after the commotion woke her up.
The victims retreated again to a bedroom but Sheard pushed the barrel of the rifle through a hole in the door and shot. The door gave way and Clarke held it against the man, restricting him.
The court heard Sheard had grabbed Clarke and pulled her in front of him "as a shield", causing her to go pale, shake and hold her hands up in what the judge described as "some sort of hostage state".
The rifle was fired a fifth time.
Sheard and Clarke fled and emergency services swarmed the scene. Sheard was arrested a few days later, while Clarke was arrested in the weeks following, after further DNA evidence was recovered.
The court heard details of their depraved and troubled backgrounds. Judge Priestley found special circumstances in both cases.
Clarke was on bail during her trial but was in custody just hours after the guilty verdicts, after allegedly telling her boyfriend's ex that she "was not scared to do it again". She was released at that time, but appeared by video link from jail for sentencing on Friday.
Sheard had previously faced murder and manslaughter charges - and been found not guilty - in the NSW Supreme Court over a frenzied jailhouse knife-fight that left a 33-year-old man dead three-and-a-half years before the Gateshead shooting.
