Ashley Richard Stott sentenced for carrying replica gun in public

A man who was stabbed trying to defend his murdered best friend has been sentenced for carrying around a replica pistol he says was for protection.

A DISABILITY pensioner who was stabbed four times in the back in 2012 has been fined and convicted for carrying a “replica pistol gel blaster” in public while drunk last year.

Ashley Richard Stott, 29, told police the replica gun was for protection when he was stopped while walking along Meander Valley Road near Launceston after 8pm on December 7.

He pleaded guilty to handling a firearm while under the influence of alcohol and the amended charge of possession of a firearm without a license when he appeared unrepresented before Magistrate Sharon Cure in Launceston on Monday.

Stott told the court the gun was only a toy that fired gel balls, but admitted it looked “very close to a firearm”.

He said he bought the gun from a friend and thought it was “cool” and was “showing it off to a couple of friends” while “having some drinks” on the night of the offences.

“We went to the bottle shop and showed it off to the bartender,” Stott told the court.

“I didn’t point it at him”.

Stott demonstrated to the court how he revealed the gun at his hip to the shop clerk by pulling up his shirt.

“It would probably frighten the person working,” Magistrate Cure said.

Police were called after the incident and were told Stott was carrying what appeared to be a taser.

They intercepted him walking along Meander Valley Rd visibly drunk and carrying the replica gel pistol.

Stott was tested for alcohol and returned a reading of 0.143.

He told police at the time that he needed the gun for protection because he was stabbed in 2012.

“Back in 2012, on Christmas night, my best friend at the time was stabbed [18 times] and murdered by a person named Adrian Smillie,” Stott told the court on Monday.

“Trying to defend my friend, Adrian Smillie stabbed me four times in the back.”

Smillie was found guilty of stabbing Benjamin Maxwell to death and wounding Stott in Devonport by a jury in 2014.

Smillie is serving a 21 year prison sentence.