Jacob Bottomley: Man jailed for Sunnybank Hills shooting

A Moreton Bay drug addict who has been behind bars since November 2016 will remain jailed after he and an associate nearly shot a man dead.

A Moreton Bay thug who was “controlled” by drugs took part in a violent night-time invasion of a caravan belonging to a drug dealer in which the man was shot in the chest.

Kallangur man Jacob Thomas Bottomley, 28, was consumed by the thought of the next hit, Brisbane District Court heard on Friday.

Bottomley pleaded guilty to a malicious act with intent and burglary.

Both offences occurred in the early hours of October 17, 2016, at Sunnybank Hills Caravan Park.

He and his co-accused, whose matters are still before the Brisbane Supreme Court, targeted the caravan belonging to victim Wayne Dean.

They chose Dean, then aged 54, because he was a known drug user and occasional dealer.

The court heard the co-accused was armed with a sawn-off shotgun, which Bottomley became aware of only shortly before the shooting.

One of the caravan’s occupants woke to find Bottomley standing over him and saying: “Where’s the gear, where’s the gear?”.

Bottomley was joined by his co-accused and the duo demanded the occupant go into Mr Dean’s room and wake him.

Kallangur man Jacob David Bottomley, 28, in 2014. Picture: Facebook

They woke Mr Dean who leant over on his side to retrieve something from a bedside table.

Bottomley’s co-accused then shot him in the chest at point-blank range before the pair fled.

Mr Dean suffered extensive injuries and still has pellets littered throughout his body.

He spent nearly three months in hospital, much of that time in intensive care, and suffered a series of strokes stemming from his injuries.

He now lives in constant pain.

The court was told Bottomly had been in custody since November 17, 2016.

His criminal history was littered with armed robberies, unlawful use of motor vehicles, possessing weapons and other offences, the court heard.

Last year, he was convicted of unlawfully supplying the dangerous drug suboxone to a fellow inmate.

Defence counsel Carl Martinovic told the court his client had “complex childhood trauma issues” and his mental health declined further due to the suicides of two friends when he was aged 21.

Mr Martinovic said Bottomley had “reformed” while in jail and got clean of the drugs which “control him”.

Judge Michael Byrne, QC, sentenced Bottomley to five years’ imprisonment, with immediate parole-eligibility.