David Ian Charles Coles: The moment man shot dead Risdon escapee Nicholas Aaron Scott
The harrowing final moments of Risdon Prison escapee Nicholas Aaron Scott, who was shot dead in a “chaotic” altercation at Granton, has been played before a court.
Police & Courts
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Updated, December 16: The harrowing final moments of Risdon Prison escapee Nicholas Aaron Scott, who was shot dead in a “chaotic” altercation at Granton, has been played before a court.
An audio recording of the shooting was played in the Supreme Court of Tasmania on Friday, along with body-worn camera footage of police officers finding the young man’s dead body on a pile of rubble just minutes later.
The disturbing recordings were played during a pre-sentence hearing for David Ian Charles Coles, who on Thursday pleaded guilty to Scott’s manslaughter by shooting him to the chest with a sawn-off 12-gauge shotgun on January 3 this year.
Coles, 45, had previously pleaded not guilty to murder and was due to stand trial before his charge was downgraded.
Crown prosecutor Linda Mason SC told the court Scott was 26 at the time of his death, having spent large chunks of his adult life in custody.
The young father was back in prison when he began to self-harm, with repeated admissions to the Royal Hobart Hospital.
Ms Mason said on December 29 last year, Scott was returned to hospital and asked to use the toilets – with guards removing his handcuffs.
He escaped the hospital on January 2, using a phone from a member of the public at Salamanca to call a taxi to his girlfriend’s house, where she lived with their baby.
After cuddling with his son and consuming some methamphetamine, Scott left to stay with a friend at Granton, arriving at the Black Snake Road residence at 12.58am.
Just after 1am, Scott and two other men began drinking Jack Daniel’s stubbies.
Coles and another man arrived about half an hour later, with Coles carrying a loaded shotgun and cartridges in a blue UTAS bag.
Ms Mason said it wasn’t suggested Coles had any plans of harming Scott, or even knew he was at the residence, and it was unclear why he’d brought a shotgun along.
But when Coles entered the residence, Scott stood up and attacked him by breaking a Jack Daniel’s stubby over his head.
“One can infer that Mr Scott was probably paranoid, he was concerned about his liberty, he’d consumed methamphetamine and cannabis,” Ms Mason told Acting Justice David Porter.
“It was dark in the room so his reaction was probably illustrative of his state of mind and his fear of what may or may have not been unfolding.”
An altercation ensued, with Coles retrieving the double-barrel shotgun and shooting Scott to the chest, from a distance of three or four metres.
Ms Mason said the shotgun pellet struck Scott in the upper right chest, and with a downwards trajectory, perforated his lung and liver.
“Scott died shortly thereafter from acute blood loss,” she said.
The “chaotic” scene – and the sound of the shotgun firing – was captured in an audio recording by the neighbour’s CCTV, amid “threats being made on both sides”.
Ms Mason said three police officers soon arrived, finding Scott lying “on what appeared to be used car parts and rubbish”.
She said Coles threw the shotgun over a fence and went to a bank to withdraw $9000 in cash – remaining at large for six days until his car was intercepted by police.
Defence barrister Kim Baumeler said Coles had no intention of using the shotgun that night, and that the shooting occurred after the “unprovoked attack”.
“It was excessive self-defence,” she said.
“It was one shot. There weren’t any further shots to Mr Scott, but unfortunately it was a fatal shot.”
Acting Justice Porter will sentence Coles on March 7 next year.
Plea change for man charged over hospital escapee’s shooting death
Earlier, December 15: A Collinsvale man has pleaded guilty to the shooting manslaughter of a hospital escapee, with his charge downgraded from murder.
David Ian Charles Coles, 45, previously pleaded not guilty to the murder of Risdon prisoner Nicholas Aaron Scott on January 3 this year at Granton.
But on Thursday in the Supreme Court of Tasmania, Coles pleaded guilty to manslaughter by an act intended or commonly known to cause bodily harm or death, by shooting Scott in the chest with a sawn-off 12-gauge shotgun.
Crown prosecutor Linda Mason SC told Acting Justice David Porter that Coles had previously been committed to stand trial for murder, but with his changed plea, the matter could now move to a plea hearing before sentence.
Coles will return to court on Friday, with the Crown facts to be read.
Footage, including an audio recording of the incident as it unfolded, will also be played to the court.
Coles was remanded in custody.
Another two men have been accused over Scott’s death, including 22-year-old Moonah man Shaun George Barrow, who has pleaded not guilty to murder and will stand trial.
Granton resident Brock Callum Davey, 21, has also pleaded not guilty to murder.
Scott’s body was found outside a Granton residence by police just hours after he escaped prison guards at the Royal Hobart Hospital.
His hospital escape triggered a large-scale manhunt when he fled the hospital about 10.50pm on January 2, with police finding him deceased about 1.30am the next morning.
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