Charges as boy, 5, recovers

JUST a month and a half on from a tragic shooting that nearly claimed the life of a five-year-old boy, two men have been formally charged.

The boy’s 29-year-old father has been issued with a notice to appear in Warwick Magistrates Court for unlawful/unlicensed possession of a firearm.

A second man, the 63-year-old grandfather, has been issued with a notice to appear for unsecured storage of a firearm.

The father was charged on February 7, the grandfather on February 15.

Both men will front court on March 28.

A 13-year-old boy has also been dealt with under the provisions of the Youth Justice Act for his involvement in the incident, Stanthorpe Senior Sergeant Gerard Brady said.

“All that has been dealt with by detectives from Stanthorpe CIB,” he said.

“Obviously the whole incident is a tragic thing really. There’s certainly no indication there was any malice in the incident or any intent.”

Snr Sgt Brady said the shooting should serve as a reminder to all firearms’ owners.

“Out of it all, if there’s one thing we can take away from this is the importance of firearms security within the community,” Snr Sgt Brady said.

“Firearms only have to be left for a short time and can obviously have massive ramifications.

“It should be a timely reminder to everyone in the community.

“Not just that, but the possible ramifications legally for firearms owners can be significant.

“Fortunately in this instance, the outcome could have been a whole lot worse.”

No further charges are expected to be laid.