A 25-year-old man who terrified Trevallyn by spraying 35 shots at police and cars during a siege in 2018 was sentenced in the Supreme Court in Launceston to eight years jail.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Brett Julian Robinson-Stacey received the overall sentence for causing grievous bodily harm to Robyn Lee Brown on December 5, 2018, and for his role in a 17-hour siege two days later.
During the siege, the drug-fuelled habitual criminal told police negotiators: "I can't go back to jail, I'd rather die than go back to jail."
IN OTHER NEWS:
He told police after arrest that he intended to come out shooting.
He was convicted and sentenced to no less than five and half years for two counts of aggravated assault, one count of recklessly discharging a firearm, two counts of unlawfully injuring property and one count of assaulting police.
Justice Robert Pearce ordered that he not be eligible for parole for five years.
"The potential for fatal or serious injury was real ...there was a high degree of criminality," he said.
He said that Robinson-Stacey demonstrated a reckless disregard for the safety and welfare of police and the people of Trevallyn because of the number of shots and the nature of the locality.
The danger was exacerbated by the inaccuracy of the .22 sawn-off repeating rifle that Robinson Stacey used.
The institutionalised prisoner had been out of jail just 15 days when he shot Ms Brown in the leg after a fight at the home of Nomi Lea Mountney in New World Avenue.
The court heard that Robinson-Stacey shot Ms Brown after she fought with Ms Mountney and refused to leave.
"You fired twice with one bullet hitting the door frame and the other hitting Ms Brown in the leg," he said.
"Shooting her was an excessive and unjustified response.
"When she screamed you threatened to shoot her again.
"It was another example of your violent and lawless behaviour and is deserving of a two-and-half-year sentence."
Justice Pearce said that on December 7 Robinson-Stacey had committed an aggravated assault against four police when he shot towards police as they tried to get him to come out of the New World Avenue house.
"You fired 35 times from different locations in the house terrifying people in the houses nearby," he said.
"Residents were prevented from returning to their homes.
He said a 76-year-old neighbour had been frightened and visibly distressed when police checked on her.
Bullets struck her car and the roof of her house and she was forced to take cover on the furthest part of the house.
A police officer who looked to see where bullets were coming from heard a bullet strike within metres.
"Put your head up there again you f***ing goose and I will shoot it," he said.
Justice Pearce said Robinson-Stacey was acting to prevent his lawful arrest over the shooting of Ms Brown.
The siege came to an end about 9.30 am on December 8 when Robinson-Stacey threatened to shoot Ms Mountney who he said was a hostage.
When he started a countdown from 20 Special Operations Group officers entered the property by force.
"They found Ms Mountney in a highly distressed state," Justice Pearce said.
"You continued to resist arrest and attempted to bit an officer on the arm and continued to kick and threaten officers until a Taser was applied to your hip.
"SOG officers put themselves at considerable risk knowing that you were armed.
"They should be highly commended that there were no injuries to you or them."
Justice Pearce said Robinson-Stacey had been in prison or detention for most of the time since 2013.
He said drug addiction led the man to commit crimes within weeks of release in both 2015 and 2016.
Robinson-Stacey has pleaded not guilty to a count of armed robbery and was remanded to appear in the Supreme Court in October.
