James Stephen Langton jailed for firing rifle and threatening victims

Firing a rifle in the air triggered a mandatory sentencing clause that compelled the Toowoomba Magistrate to jail a man for nine months, without the possibility of parole.

IT MAY have only been an air rifle but firing it to frighten the occupants of a Buckland St home earned James Stephen Langton nine months in jail.

The offence triggered a mandatory sentencing clause under the Weapons Act which prohibited a parole release.

The 41-year-old pleaded guilty in the Toowoomba Magistrates Court yesterday to 30 charges.

Of those charges, the most serious included dangerous conduct with a weapon, unlawful possession of a category A firearm, dangerous operation of a vehicle and serious assault of a police officer and steam from an incident in Buckland St on January 18.

The court heard Langton threatened the occupants with the rifle.

Police found him behind the wheel of vehicle and moved to arrest him.

But he drove off, dragging an officer for short distance and injuring them.

The remaining offences are spread across a four-month period and include several drug and fraud charges.

Langton’s run of offending ended on May 16 when he was arrested and denied bail.

Acting in Langton’s defence, solicitor Jag MacDonald said his client had a limited criminal history until his problems with alcohol got the better of him two years ago.

He lost his job, his relationship broke down and he became homeless, which led to increased drug use.

Magistrate Kay Ryan said mandatory sentencing laws for dangerous conduct with a weapon compelled her to order nine-months in jail.

To aid in Langton’s rehabilitation Ms Ryan added a 21-month probation period for the remaining offences, that include regular drug tests and mental health treatment.

Mr Ryan recorded Langton’s 182 days in pre-sentence custody and set his release date of February 16.