Gowrie gunman gets jail

Court told man fired a rifle in scuffle with police

A MAN who fired a shot from a shortened .22 rifle in the pokie room of a hotel during a violent scuffle with police, before threatening two innocent bystanders with a knife, has been jailed. Jamie Ross Cook appeared in Toowoomba District Court on Thursday for a sentencing hearing after he pleaded guilty to 23 offences that stemmed from an altercation with police at the Gowrie Road Hotel.

A MAN who fired a shot from a shortened .22 rifle in the pokie room of a hotel during a violent scuffle with police, before threatening two innocent bystanders with a knife, has been jailed.

Jamie Ross Cook appeared in Toowoomba District Court on Thursday for a sentencing hearing after he pleaded guilty to a total of 23 offences, including committing a malicious act with intent and serious assault that stemmed from a serious altercation with police in 2019.

The court was told that on the morning of May 17 that year, police attended the gaming area of the Gowrie Road Hotel when they spoke to Cook, who at the time was wanted for armed robbery.

According to the agreed facts a scuffle broke out between Cook and two police officers, who used capsicum spray and a taser to try and subdue the 36-year-old.

While wrestling with police, CCTV captured Cook grabbing a gun, and a shot was fired, which missed police and bystanders and lodged into a wall.

The court heard Cook then managed to break free and fled into an adjoining room where he pulled a knife on a 52-yearold woman and a 38-year-old man, threatening, “I’m going to stab you c---”.

Cook was again tasered multiple times and attempted to break the wires before he was eventually arrested.

During her sentencing remarks, Judge Nicole Kefford said Cook’s criminal history demonstrated that he repeatedly committed property offences which had escalated into violence, attempts to evade police and more seriously the use of firearms.

Judge Kefford dismissed a submission made by the Crown that the charges displayed “the actual use of violence with a gun”, stating the conduct involved the threat of violence with a gun, and threats of violence with a knife.

Judge Kefford said Cook displayed a “prospect” of rehabilitation, stating that his offending was a result of a serious methylamphetamine addiction, but there were measures in place, including the support of his partner and family, that once released he might be able to avoid further offending behaviour.

Cook was convicted and sentenced to eight years behind bars. He will be eligible for parole on January 25, 2024.