William Cowling faces sentencing submissions for shooting Theo Papadopoulos with sawn-off shotgun on Adelaide beach in 2019
He was fishing with a mate when an aggressive drunk picked a fight – and then shot him at point-blank range with a shotgun. Now, this man has told a court he’ll never walk again.
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He was enjoying a warm summer’s evening, fishing at a popular suburban beach with a friend, when an aggressive drunk approached them and demanded a fight.
Theo Papadopoulos told the man to get lost, never expecting he would return minutes later – wearing a mask and gloves – and shoot him point-blank in the knee with a sawn-off shotgun.
Had it not been for an off-duty paramedic, Mr Papadopoulos would have lost his life that night – on Thursday, he told the District Court he may still lose his leg.
“I’ve become a constant burden on my parents and family and I will continue to be a burden for them … I would be embarrassed if I had any dignity left to be embarrassed,” he said.
“I’ve spent 12 months in hospital having surgery after surgery, but my knee wasn’t able to be saved and now it appears I’ll need an amputation above the knee.
“I will be in a wheelchair my entire life – never able to walk, run or dance on my own two legs – but hopefully the amputation will stop the constant pain.”
William Cowling, 37, of West Beach, pleaded guilty to aggravated intentionally causing serious harm as well as several firearms offences.
He faces a maximum sentence of 25 years’ jail, and a maximum fine of $75,000.
Cowling was originally charged with attempted murder over his attack on Mr Papadopoulos, 37, at West Beach in February last year.
The shooting occurred at 8.30pm on a Sunday night when dozens of people, including children, were on the beach.
In his victim impact statement on Thursday, Mr Papadopoulos said Cowling – who was known to him before the incident – had left him fearful and paranoid.
“He’s in jail and that he can’t hurt me, but that doesn’t stop me worrying … when I’m out of the house I’m constantly looking around, fearful that somebody will cap me,” he said.
“I hope the sentence he’s given will be sufficient to reflect the damage he’s caused, but I don’t know if that could be possible.”
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Phil Crowe, for Cowling, said his client had been drinking for two days prior to the incident and had a blood alcohol reading of 0.13 – more than twice the legal driving limit.
He said Cowling believed Mr Papadopoulos had been offensive toward him but accepted that in no way excused his conduct, for which he was “very sorry”.
Sue Agnew, prosecuting, called for Cowling to be jailed, saying he had not only devastated his victim’s life but also placed the community at great risk.
“Numerous families and members of the public were enjoying a summer evening on a popular suburban beach when this occurred,” she said.
“This is an example of causing serious harm that is at the most severe end of the scale of seriousness.”
Judge Michael Boylan remanded Cowling in custody for sentencing next month.