Man jailed for threatening, bashing former mate with a gun

A NORTHERN Tasmanian man who threatened a former housemate with a firearm, and used the weapon to assault him after becoming angered about his treatment of a former partner of both of them, has been sentenced to three years in jail.

Joshua John Pearce, 30, pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary, aggravated assault and recklessly discharging a firearm, when he appeared in the Supreme Court in Launceston on Friday.

About 10.30pm on April 1, Benjamin Smith was messaging someone he believed to be a woman, and it was arranged for her to come over to his Invermay home.

Crown prosecutor John Ransom said when he opened the front door he was met with the barrel of a firearm and

Pearce saying: “I’m going to kill you dog.”

A struggle ensued and a bullet was discharged, going through the kitchen of the adjoining unit where Mr Smith’s uncle and the man’s young daughter had been sleeping.

Mr Ransom said Pearce hit Mr Smith’s head with the butt of the shortened shotgun a number of times, which led to the firearm falling apart. The court heard Mr Smith offered him about $70 and a small amount of cannabis to get him to leave. Pearce and an unknown female who had waited outside the unit during the attack collected the parts of the firearm and left.

Mr Smith later located the plastic stock of the weapon, which he took to Launceston police station, before seeking treatment at hospital.

The court was told from 3.15am the next day, Pearce sent Mr Smith a series of messages, including “you shouldn’t have made me wait three years for me to take it out about Chrissie”.

The pair had known each other for about six years and had previously lived together.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, Mr Smith said the attack had made him feel unsafe and he had been looking at moving out of town.

Mr Ransom said Pearce had a significant record of prior convictions.

During sentencing, Justice Stephen Estcourt said it was a “very serious crime” and someone could have been killed.

He ordered the three-year sentence be served on the completion of any other sentence Pearce is serving.

Pearce will be eligible for parole after serving half the sentence.