Elderly ‘nonno’ Paolo Mannici, 90, pleads guilty to Ravenhall junkyard shooting

An elderly great-grandfather shot a man in broad daylight before being restrained by bystanders after a junkyard dispute descended into violence.

A great-grandfather has pleaded guilty to shooting a man in broad daylight after a dispute over rubbish dumping rapidly escalated.

Paolo Mannici, 90, was charged with possessing an unregistered firearm and conduct endangering life over the violent incident.

Dressed in suit and tie, Mr Mannici appeared in the Victorian County Court on Wednesday.

“Colpevole,” he said when asked to enter his plea.

His Italian interpreter confirmed his guilty plea to both charges.

In December 2020 the elderly “nonno” was captured on CCTV hobbling towards his victim with his walking stick in one hand and a gun in the other.

Paolo Mannici pleaded guilty to shooting a man during a junkyard dispute. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nicki Connolly

The .22 calibre Beretta handgun, a family heirloom that once belonged to Mr Mannici’s grandfather, was not registered and had been loaded with several bullets, the court was told.

Mr Mannici owned a scrapyard business in Ravenhall that was used by the victim, Raymond Pasco.

But police alleged Mr Pasco stopped paying Mr Mannici for the arrangement but continued to dump rubbish.

When Mr Pasco showed up at the site in December 2020, Mr Mannici approached the victim from behind and shot him in his right arm.

A struggle ensued and Mr Pasco was shot again, police alleged.

Bystanders intervened and one man could be heard yelling “you’re going to jail you old c**t”, the court was told.

Mr Pasco was rushed to hospital where he had surgery for nerve damage.

Mr Mannici initially told police he did not mean to shoot Mr Pasco.

The pair had been in an ongoing dispute over rubbish dumping. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Sarah Matray

Mr Mannici’s lawyer Dr Theo Alexander submitted that Mr Mannici’s response was the result of several months of ongoing disputes.

He claimed Mr Pasco had threatened Mr Mannici and said he would continue to attack him if he refused to pay a bill for works Mr Pasco did to remove soil and rubbish from the Rebecca Drive property.

“Your client refused to pay money he had to pay to get the site cleared,” Judge Damian Murphy said.

“And what was he doing with a loaded firearm in his possession at 90?”

Dr Alexander submitted if his client was younger, thinking more clearly and felt “less vulnerable”, he may have responded differently.

“I’m asking Your Honour doesn’t send Mr Mannici to jail,” he said.

Paolo Mannici’s lawyer asked that his client not be sent to jail. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nicki Connolly

He then referred to character references that described Ms Mannici, who takes a dozen pills every day for back pain, stomach ulcers and vertigo, as virtuous, happy to assist and a good father and husband.

A victim impact statement from Mr Pasco was also read in court in which he described how his life “has never been the same” since the incident.

“What he did to me has changed the person I am today. I am barely a shell of the man I used to be,” he said.

Mr Mannici’s bail was extended and the matter will return to court for sentencing at a later date.