Mitchell Jay Dow fronts court over Whittington drug debt shooting

The mental state of a Geelong crook who shot an innocent man over another man’s drug debt has been probed at a hearing.

Mitchell Jay Dow. Picture: Facebook.

A Geelong crook told an associate he was on a “mission” to collect a drug debt and was going to put a bullet in a man’s leg if he didn’t pay.

Mitchell Jay Dow, 30, appeared in the County Court at Melbourne on Monday, having earlier pleaded guilty to a number of charges related to a shooting in Whittington on March 22 last year.

Dow shot Brendan Toohey in the neck through a shed door with a sawn-off rifle, after demanding Mr Toohey hand over the keys to his motorbike.

Police recovered seven fired bullet casings at the scene, and Mr Toohey required surgery to remove bullet fragments from his neck.

The shooting was in relation to a $25,000 drug debt, which Dow believed a friend of the victim, Raymond Moss, who also resided at the Whittington address, owed him.

Dow is the last offender set to be sentenced in relation to the incident.

Prior to the shooting, according to court documents, Dow texted a co-accused saying they should “go see old mate, I’m in form for forced PayID”.

According to court documents, minutes before the shooting, he texted another contact, stating: “I’m going round to rays (sic) now to get whatever I can I’m not leaving without a good earn or I’ll put a billet (sic) through the c--ts (sic) leg. Word. I’m on a mission.”

Judge Marcus Dempsey was set hand down Dow’s sentence at Monday, however a new psychologist’s report had only been provided to the court on the morning of the hearing.

The court heard sworn evidence from psychologist Gina Cidoni, who has compiled four reports for the court on Dow.

Ms Cidoni was asked if she could say whether or not any psychotic symptoms Dow might have displayed at the time of the offending were the result of Dow’s drug use, or underlying mental health conditions.

Ms Cidoni said it was difficult to say exactly what factors influenced his actions, as it was being driven by “a whole constellation of symptoms”.

Ms Cidoni told the court she believed Dow was disconnected with reality at the time of the shooting, and that his behaviour showed “intense paranoia”.

Judge Dempsey asked what was paranoid about using a gun to recoup the drug debt.

“I see it as an over-reaction … he has an extreme, and a very disproportionate sense of urgency,” Ms Cidoni said.

Judge Dempsey noted that “drug debts of that magnitude tend not to be sorted out at a kitchen table … they’re not litigated, they’re enforced with violence and menace”.

Ms Cidoni told the court she based her opinion on Dow’s presentation to her, along with medical records from 2020 and 2021, which showed he had been prescribed “intense” antipsychotic medications.

Following Ms Cidoni’s testimony, Judge Dempsey said he still required further clarity on Dow’s mental state and wanted more concrete diagnoses, and would order a psychological report from Forensicare.

Dow will reappear before the court at a later date.

Originally published as Mitchell Jay Dow fronts court over Whittington drug debt shooting