Man who used sawed-off rifle believed intruders were at his home

Fearing armed intruders were coming to get him, a Darling Downs man grabbed his unregistered sawn-off rifle and started firing into the night. Police found no intruders but lots of spent ammo casings.

Richard John Scott pleaded guilty to a raft of Weapons Act offences.

RICHARD John Scott was convinced several intruders were approaching his home intent on causing harm to himself and his property.

He phoned Triple-0 telling police he saw at least one of the intruders armed with a pistol.

But he didn’t wait for the officers before acting.

The Toowoomba Magistrates Court heard on Monday that the 52-year-old man took hold of an unregistered sawn-off 0.243 calibre rifle and started firing indiscriminately into the night on August 12, 2019.

When police arrived at Scott’s Millmerran Woods home, they found spent bullet casings scattered around the property and his illegal firearm, but no intruders.

They arrested Scott, charging him with a raft of weapons act offences, including dangerous conduct with a weapon, possessing a shortened firearm and unlawful possession of a weapon.

Scott’s lawyer, Nathan Bouchier, told the court there was some credibility to his claim of being under attack.

He pointed to a Heineken beer bottle found at the scene.

It contained the DNA of the notorious thug who had some 48 pages of criminal history that included robbery with violence, weapons offences and assault causing grievous bodily harm.

“There is some credence to saying people were on his property, threatening him,” he said.

He added that Scott had lived at Millmerran Woods without incident until the night in question.

Scott pleaded guilty to all seven charges, including an unrelated public nuisance charge from Palm Beach on December 3, 2019.

Magistrate Howard Osborne ordered a head sentence of six months jail for dangerous conduct with a weapon.

He further ordered that Scott be released on immediate parole and recorded all convictions.