Man jailed for rupturing stranger’s eyeball in ice-fuelled gun attack

A Launceston man now wears a prosthetic eyeball after a stranger high on ice barged into his unit and discharged a shotgun loaded with salt through his sunglasses, a court has heard.

A LAUNCESTON man has been jailed for shooting a Sudanese migrant through this sunglasses and rupturing his eyeball.

Invermay man Wal Yel, 35, now wears a prosthetic right eye after a stranger high on ice barged into his unit and pulled the trigger on a shotgun loaded with salt in December 2018.

The Supreme Court of Tasmania heard on Thursday that Jake Harley Hattenschwiler, 30, and George Matthew Jeffrey, 27, were both wearing backpacks carrying guns when they walked through Mr Yel’s unlocked front door while on the drug ice, acting aggressively and threatening to hurt him.

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Hattenschwiler said he needed drugs before Jeffrey pulled a pistol from his backpack and pointed it at Mr Yel’s chest, but lowered it and punched his face.

Hattenschwiler then pulled a 12-gauge single-barrel, sawn-off shotgun – loaded with salt instead of conventional shot – from his backpack.

From about three to five metres away, Hattenschwiler aimed the gun at Mr Yel’s face and pulled the trigger, but the shotgun didn’t fire.

He adjusted the firing mechanism and pulled the trigger again, shattering Mr Yel’s sunglasses and causing “something” to rupture his right eye.

“His eye was destroyed and has since been removed and replaced with a prosthetic eye,” Justice Robert Pearce said while sentencing.

“Had the shotgun been loaded with a conventional cartridge, Mr Yel would likely have been killed or even more seriously injured.”

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The attackers were initially charged with attempted murder, but pleaded guilty to lesser charges when they were downgraded by prosecutors just before a trial was due to begin.

Both men have previously committed numerous dishonesty-related offences, including aggravated robbery and burglary and have had drug issues.

Hattenschwiler pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm and was jailed for three years and nine months, with a non-parole period of two years and nine months.

Jeffrey, who pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and assault, was given a 14-month jail stint with a non-parole period of seven months.

He will also serve at least another four months and three weeks behind bars after Justice Pearce activated two previous suspended sentences for other offending.