Robert Jade Bell: Tatted up dad used gel blaster to terrify victim

A heavily tattooed father-of-five has landed back in court after threatening a man with a gel blaster gun during a frightening altercation outside a Slacks Creek grocery store.

A heavily tattooed father-of-five has landed back in court after threatening a man with a gel blaster gun during a frightening altercation outside a Slacks Creek grocery store.

Newmarket man Robert Jade Bell, 27, pleaded guilty in Beenleigh Magistrates Court on Monday charged with going armed as to cause fear, entering dwelling and committing indictable offence, unlawful possession of weapons, authority to possess explosives and posses utensils or pipes that had been used.

Robert Jade Bell

The court heard the father of five pulled out a gel blaster handgun and threatened to shoot a man during an altercation outside a grocery store in Slacks Creek at about 8pm on July 8 last year.

Police allege the male victim got into an argument with Bell and his partner after he accused of her trespassing in a gated off area near the store.

The victim used a milk crate to hit the car the couple had arrived in, causing minor damages before Bell got out of the car and pointed a gel blaster hand gun at him.

Bell threatened the man yelling: “I’ll put one through you!” and “What are you going to do? I’ll f**k you up.”

Police allege the male victim believed he was going to be shot and die and he quickly put his hands up before Bell put the blaster away and left.

The court heard the incident happened while Bell was on probation for other criminal offences he had been sentenced for in March, 2021.

Magistrate Tracey Mossop said such “stupids acts” where the reason why there had been a campaign to have gel blaster guns banned despite the majority of the public using them responsibly.

Bell’s lawyer said his client was regretful for his “moment of stupidity” and had been picking up some boxes with his partner there at the time.

“He expressed remorse to police … he also had a chat with the victim and they both apologised to each other,” he said.

The court heard police also had executed a search warrant at a property Acacia Ridge and located a flick knife and ammunition in his possession along with a metal pipe and cone piece on August 28, 2019.

He was sentenced to six months imprisonment with a set parole release date on February 4.