Jail for drug-crazed ex

Armed former partner assaulted mum while 8yo son hid

AN “armed and dangerous” southern Tasmanian man who assaulted his former partner and attempted to fire a loaded gun at a friend has been jailed.

The Supreme Court in Hobart heard James Laird Pulford, 30, had been smoking ice in the days leading to the assaults on September 29 last year. On that day he was delusional, er- ratic, and suffering from druginduced psychosis.

Pulford pleaded guilty to assaulting his former partner, and to aggravated assault — committed when he pointed a loaded gun at a friend — as well as firearms charges, evading police and possessing ice.

In sentencing last month, Chief Justice Alan Blow said Pulford went to his former partner’s home and their son, 8, was there. Chief Justice Blow said Pulford threw a metal money box across a room and started searching for a man who was not there.

“Your former partner phoned the police. Your son fled and hid,” he said.

Chief Justice Blow said Pulford picked up the screaming woman, carried her out of the house and dropped her outside.

Pulford, holding a double-barrel shotgun, left to visit a friend he was “talking about killing”.

Police saw Pulford driving in New Norfolk but he refused to stop and they followed him to his friend’s house.

“When the police had surrounded your vehicle, you got out with the loaded weapon and you pointed it towards your friend,” Chief Justice Blow said.

“The indictment asserts that you pointed the firearm at him and attempted to pull the trigger.

“Ultimately the police told you to drop your firearm, and you knelt on the ground and put it down.

“You refused to move away from it, and the police needed to use capsicum spray to overpower you and then handcuff you.”

Chief Justice Blow said Pulford exposed several people to considerable danger.

“You were unstable. You could have shot or harmed any of them,” he said. “You were armed and dangerous.”

He said Pulford was remorseful and had indicated he did not want to use drugs, and there was “every reason to hope that, once you are released from prison, you will remain in a stable situation and stay away from this sort of trouble”.

Pulford was sentenced to two years and five months’ jail, with a non-parole period of 15 months, backdated to September 29 last year.