Shooter had not met victim

JAY Ellison yelled: “Sucked in (expletive)” before opening fire on another man at close range outside a Southport property in February last year, a court has been told.

He fired the pistol because he wanted to help out his friend, co-accused Jesse James Farmer, who was having a dispute with the victim over the storage of another person’s furniture, the court was told.

Jay Darrin Ellison, 27, yesterday pleaded guilty in the Southport District Court to a raft of offences including armed robbery, malicious acts intended to cause grievous bodily harm, possession of cannabis and stealing.

The court heard Ellison shot Nicholas Pickering, a man he had never met before, in the stomach and thigh about 8.30pm when Mr Pickering opened the door to his Worendo St home on February 25, 2016.

The court was told the man required two bouts of surgery and was hospitalised for two weeks after the incident.

Crown prosecutor Dejana Kovac said the shooting was a “surprise action” performed on an “unsuspecting person” who had no way of defending themselves.

Judge David Kent, QC, reserved his decision until Thursday.

Jesse Farmer will face a trial at the Southport District Court at a date to be determined for his alleged role in the shooting.