Pair not guilty in shooting

Two freed; charges also included armed robbery

JACOB and Marcus Williams hugged as a jury returned not guilty verdicts to allegations of shooting and robbing a man in Kings Meadows in January.

The two men, who are not related, were jointly accused and pleaded not guilty to committing an unlawful act intended to cause bodily harm and aggravated armed robbery.

Their eight-day Supreme

Court trial in Launceston ended yesterday.

It was the Crown’s case that the men shot Kurt Jenkins in the leg in retribution for an armed robbery they believed

he had carried out on Jacob Williams’s partner on January 9.

Prosecutor John Ransom said Jacob Williams, 28, and Marcus Williams, 33, conspired to hurt and rob Mr Jenkins. It was alleged they shot him and stole cash, a phone and ID cards during an incident on Pinkard St about 7.30pm on January 11.

Lawyer Evan Hughes defended Jacob Williams and previously told the jury the accused men arranged to meet Mr Jenkins on January 11 only to ask if he was involved in the robbery of Jacob Williams’s partner or if he knew who was.

Mr Hughes said Mr Jenkins pointed a gun at Jacob Williams when he became angry about being tested on whether he was involved in the robbery for a second time. Mr Hughes said Jacob Williams lunged towards the gun and tried to disarm Mr Jenkins and that was when the gun fired and Mr Jenkins was shot in the leg.

The jury deliberated for more than six hours and returned majority not guilty verdicts on all counts just after 4pm yesterday. Marcus Williams patted Jacob Williams on the back, nodded and smiled towards the jury as the not guilty verdicts were returned on all counts.

The men hugged as the jurors were thanked and relieved by Justice Robert Pearce. Justice Pearce told the men they were free to leave.