Man’s appeal over ‘Mexican standoff’ murder conviction rejected

A man has lost his appeal after a “ridiculous Mexican standoff” ended in tragedy, with his life sentence upheld for fatally shooting another man.

In a violent confrontation described by a court as a “ridiculous Mexican standoff”, a man was fatally shot outside his Deception Bay home in 2018.

On Tuesday, the Queensland Court of Appeal rejected an appeal by the shooter, Justin John Meale, upholding his life sentence for murder.

The case stems from a dramatic and deadly confrontation over a failed drug deal between Meale and Clinton “Rocky” Pollock that escalated on the night of September 2, 2018.

Mr Pollock, who had a reputation for violence, sent a series of threatening messages to Meale, including one warning that he would “spray your hole house up”.

Donna Pollock, the mother of slain man Clinton Pollock, wept tears of joy outside court upon a guilty verdict being handed down for her son’s killer, Justin John Meale. Picture: NewsWire/Tertius Pickard

Meale then arrived at Pollock’s Deception Bay home armed with a loaded, shortened .22 rifle concealed down his pants.

During a tense exchange described in court as a “ridiculous Mexican standoff”, Meale fatally shot an unarmed Mr Pollock outside the house.

Mr Pollock’s sister, who lived with him and her son, was woken about 11.30pm by the sound of a car and witnessed the shooting.

After her brother was shot, she helped him back inside and attempted to call police, but Mr Pollock grabbed the phone from her.

Her screams woke her son, who found Mr Pollock “hunched over on the couch in the lounge room gasping for air”.

Clinton ‘Rocky’ Pollock was shot dead outside his Deception Bay home in September 2018. Justin John Meale was found guilty of his murder at the Brisbane Supreme Court.

The nephew’s girlfriend, along with a neighbour, helped lay Mr Pollock on the floor. He died shortly after.

Meale claimed he intended only to wound Mr Pollock, aiming for the shoulder, and said he fled the scene out of fear of being shot.

Following the shooting, Meale and his companions attempted to hide the weapon and misled police by providing false information.

He lied about his presence at the scene, involvement in the shooting, gun ownership, and the location where the firearm was disposed of.

At trial, these actions were presented as evidence of a “consciousness of guilt”.

The jury returned their verdict after less than an hour of deliberation.

Mr Pollock (pictured) and Meale got into a ‘Mexican standoff’ after a drug deal fell through.

Justice Thomas Bradley handed down a mandatory life sentence, noting Meale’s history of drug use, developmental challenges, including Asperger’s syndrome and autism spectrum disorder, and limited formal education but emphasising the gravity of the offence.

In the Court of Appeal, Meale challenged whether he had the necessary intent for murder and argued that self-defence should apply. However, the court, led by president Mullins and justices Brown and Wilson, found the original jury was properly instructed, and the evidence supported the verdict beyond reasonable doubt.

The court unanimously dismissed the appeal, confirming the life sentence and rejecting claims of judicial error.

Originally published as Man’s appeal over ‘Mexican standoff’ murder conviction rejected