Nathan Richard Campbell has been found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm to 11-year-old Phoenix Newitt when he fired a rifle at the car she was sitting in.
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It took a Launceston Supreme Court jury about three hours over two days to determine the 26-year-old’s fate.
The four-day trial examined the events which led to the shooting at Stagg Court in August 2017, including a brawl at Deloraine Woolworths between two mothers.
One of those mothers was Sarah Newitt and the other was Campbell’s girlfriend Brearna Mansell.
The court heard the pair got into an argument inside the supermarket, but they were quickly asked to leave by staff.
Once outside the store, Ms Newitt allegedly pulled out a pocket knife, so Ms Mansell repeatedly punched her.
It was not until Phoenix started filming the fight that Ms Mansell got off Ms Newitt.
As soon as she was freed, Ms Newitt went on the attack, using her unopened pocket knife to hit Ms Mansell in the face, the jury heard.
After Woolworths staff broke up the fight, Ms Newitt allegedly told Ms Mansell she knew where her daughter slept and was going to get her raped.
Ms Mansell left the supermarket with her friend, returning to her home at Stagg Court where her partner and daughter were.
Bloody and bruised from the fight, Ms Newitt stayed at the supermarket to have her injuries checked out by paramedics.
She called her younger brother Zack to tell him what had happened. He put his four-year-old son in the car and went to see his sister.
Ms Newitt did not wait for police or paramedics, instead she left the scene with her brother.
Despite Ms Newitt pleading with him to be taken home, Mr Newitt drove to Stagg Court.
It was alleged by two neighbours that the Newitts and Campbell were yelling and screaming obscenities at each other.
One neighbour told the court she heard a woman, who was believed to be Ms Newitt, scream from the car “we will rape your daughter” to Campbell.
Ms Newitt and her brother denied making that threat, however when Mr Newitt gave evidence he admitted to shouting “bring your bat down here, you’re going to f---ing need it. I’m going to rape you with it”.
The threats made Campbell “see red”, so he went into his house and retrieved the rifle.
“I heard Zach Newitt say he was going to come in and rape my daughter and make me watch,” Campbell said.
He cocked the gun, walked to the tree in his front yard, took the safety off, aimed at the front wheel and fired.
Campbell thought the shot had missed the car and he only found out the bullet hit Phoenix when he was being interviewed by police.
“I didn’t believe it to start with. I just shut down,” he said.
Campbell was remanded in custody on Friday.
He will be sentenced on Wednesday.
