Darcy Morgan to be sentenced after shooting at Seven Oaks property over drug debt, sister Tessa also to be sentenced

It was a $1900 drug debt that sparked a man being shot at a rural property on the mid-north-coast on Australia Day with a Paxton man charged for pulling the trigger, his sister trying to cover it up.

Darcy and Tessa Morgan appeared via video link at Newcastle District Court on Friday. Picture: Amy Ziniak

A court has heard a “snap decision” resulted in a man being shot in the arm at a rural property on the mid-north-coast over a small drug debt.

Darcy Morgan from Paxton went to a property at Seven Oaks – in the Macleay Valley – with his sister’s partner on Australia Day last year, armed with a rifle and a metal pole, to confront a man who needed to pay $1900 after being supplied with 1.75 grams of meth.

The outstanding debt had sparked a couple of months of threats to spray the man’s house with bullets before Morgan got involved and agreed to pay the victim a visit.

During a sentence hearing at Newcastle District Court on Friday, it was heard Morgan was “recruited” by his sister’s partner to recover the debt and at first did not directly engage with the victim.

The court heard the pair were in separate cars when they arrived at the rural property and Morgan didn’t even get out of his vehicle.

During their investigation police released a CCTV image of a black-coloured Subaru believed to have been in the vicinity of Seven Oaks at the time of the alleged shooting.

When his sister’s partner eventually left and the victim went inside, Morgan moved his Subaru WRX further down the driveway, but then the victim again came out and approached him and yelled “I thought I told you to f--k off”.

The court heard that there was a torch shone in Morgan’s face and he didn’t know whether the victim had a gun, so he instead grabbed his firearm and shot him in the left arm.

Police facts said the exchange prompted Morgan to flee as the man’s partner called triple-0 and wrapped his arm in a tea towel to stem the bleeding before paramedics and police arrived and he was taken to Port Macquarie Hospital.

Days later, Morgan took the WRX to his girlfriend’s parents rural property in Greta where he stashed the vehicle behind a caravan according to police facts.

The parents have not been accused of any wrongdoing.

Following an investigation, police raided the New England Highway property and seized the Subaru before they raided a Paxton address where they arrested Morgan.

He pleaded guilty to discharging a firearm with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, acquiring a firearm subject to a prohibition order, wound a person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and acquire ammunition subject to a prohibition order.

Morgan’s defence barrister Rebecca Suters explained that her client had been shot himself in 2022 and was “hypervigilant” since the incident.

She said Morgan had mental health issues with a diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and had exhibited “impulsiveness” and made a snap decision to shoot the victim, which warranted a reduction in his moral culpability.

The Crown Prosecutor told the court his continual use of drugs, including in custody, posed a risk to him reoffending and a real concern for community safety if released.

She said Morgan could have left when the victim first went back into his house and there was no provocation to him shooting the man despite being approached.

His sister Tessa Morgan also appeared via video link in court on Friday, after she pleaded guilty to a charge of accessory after the fact to an offence – wound person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm related to the incident.

Her defence barrister Gillian Dewison said her client had good prospects of rehabilitation and had taken a number of steps in custody to engage in programs.

Judge Jennie Girdham reserved her judgement for another date adjourning both sentences until early next month.