Corey George Farrell sentenced to jail for shooting sister’s abusive boyfriend and his father

The sister of a man jailed for shooting her lover amid a Sydney war between two families said it was no “Romeo and Juliet” romance as she had been repeatedly abused by her boyfriend. SEE THE TEXT MESSAGE EXCHANGE.

Monique Farrell leaves the court. Picture: Damian Shaw

The sister of a man jailed for shooting her lover amid a war between two families said it was no “Romeo and Juliet” romance as she had been repeatedly abused by her boyfriend.

Corey George Farrell shot his sister Monique’s boyfriend Joshua Smart in the back and Mr Smart’s father Michael in the head outside their home in April 2014.

It followed a long-running feud between the two families after Smart, an aspiring boxer, “king hit” Ms Farrell and threatened to kill her relatives.

“I was just trying to protect my sister and myself,” Farrell told NSW District Court as he was sentenced on Monday.

The 32-year-old Leichhardt man had pleaded guilty to discharging a firearm with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

Monique Farrell described the relationship as ‘toxic’. Picture: Supplied

Joshua Smart in a photo from Facebook.

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Christopher Armitage handed Farrell a maximum seven years behind bars with a minimum of three years and six months.

Outside court Ms Farrell, 25, defended her brother, saying that while lawyers had likened her relationship with Smart to “Romeo and Juliet” it was “toxic”.

“My brothers are my biggest protectors. And my family, my dad, my mother, we will ­always remain loyal to one another and we will always have each other’s backs,” Ms Farrell told The Daily Telegraph.

“I feel like he had no other choice. (But) violence against women or as retribution is never acceptable.”

The court heart that in 2013 Joshua Smart hit and hospitalised Ms Farrell whom he suspected of cheating on him.

He later sent Ms Farrell texts threatening to kill her and her brothers.

On the night of April 6, 2014 Farrell came to the Smart family home in Pyrmont and unloaded nine bullets, four of which hit the son and father as they ran away.

When Farrell later found out about Michael Smart’s injuries he burst into tears, stating he never meant to hurt him and was “praying that he makes it”, the court heard. Both men have since made a full recovery.

One of the victims of the shooting is taken into RPA Hospital.

Joshua Smart was later jailed for more than three years for threatening to kill Ms Farrell and concealing an indictable offence after refusing to talk to police about the 2014 shooting.

Yesterday Judge Armitage said Farrell’s actions were “disgraceful, disreputable and extremely dangerous” but gave the indigenous man leniency due to his disadvantaged childhood marred by domestic violence.

Police comb the area looking for clues after the shooting in Pyrmont.

During sentencing the judge spoke frankly with Farrell, asking him whether he was a proud Bundjalung man, to which he replied “yes”.

“The only way to show us whitefellas — who were here a lot later than your mob — that you’re a proud Koori is not to commit crimes,” Judge Armitage said.