Retiree Michael William Wall asks court to spare him prison term for pointing replica firearm at driver during road-rage incident

This 78-year-old took poorly to a traffic merge and expressed his displeasure by pointing an imitation gun at the other driver. Now he’s facing jail.

A retiree who threatened another driver with an imitation firearm during a road-rage incident did so “impulsively” because he has “never felt safe” in his life, a court has heard.

On Thursday, the District Court was asked to spare Michael William Wall, 78, a prison term for his actions on Beach Rd, Morphett Vale, in January.

After the point at which the road’s two lanes merge into one, Wall continued to drive side-by-side with another driver for a further 600m.

He pointed a starter’s pistol at the man who, believing it was a real firearm, contacted police – officers subsequently found a rifle equipped with a silencer under Wall’s bed.

Wall had pleaded guilty to aggravated threatening to cause harm and a number of firearms charges.

On Thursday, prosecutors told the court Wall’s “impulsive conduct” had left his victim feeling “threatened and intimidated”, even though he suffered no physical harm.

Wall had, they said, “not been entirely upfront” with police either, initially claiming he had only pointed his phone at the other driver.

Michael William Wall, centre, flanked by his lawyer Rachael Shaw, right, and one of his nieces, left, as he leaves the District Court. Picture: Sean Fewster.

Rachael Shaw, for Wall, said her client’s childhood had been “marred by beatings and severe punishment”, causing post-traumatic stress that went undiagnosed throughout his life.

She said he had told a psychiatrist he was “scared a lot, I don’t think I ever felt safe” and that had made him protective of himself and those he loves.

The deaths of his daughter and wife, she said, had “exacerbated” his “anxiety, persistent worrying and constant state of feeling unsafe”, culminating in the incident.

“He feels genuine remorse and distress for the victim, he has let down his family, he has expressed shame and embarrassment, he is mortified,” Ms Shaw said.

“This is an incredibly unfortunate incident but there is good that has come of this – he has been diagnosed, he has engaged with therapy and treatment, he has insight into his mental health for the first time.”

Judge Adam Kimber remanded Wall on continuing bail for sentencing in two weeks’ time.