Reid Partlett, a 20-year-old man, has been sentenced to a considerable jail term for his involvement in a nail gun attack on the M1 motorway near Gosford on the New South Wales Central Coast earlier this year.
The incident occurred as Mr Partlett, accompanied by two others, aimed a nail gun at passing vehicles between Somersby and Ourimbah on January 9.
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This reckless act resulted in two men in their 50s sustaining injuries, one shot in the upper arm and the other struck in the scalp.
Additionally, a woman’s vehicle suffered damage in the assault.
Mr Partlett, who has been in custody since thee day of the attack, pleaded guity to five charges, including two counts each of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and destroying or damaging property, as well as resisting arrest.
During the sentencing hearing at Wyong Local Court, Partlett’s defense acknowledged there was “no dispute about the sereousness” of the case.
However, the prosecution argued that Partlett’s actions showed a “disregard for public safety” and were described as “very reckless.”
Magistrate Kirralee Perry said the substantial risk and danger posed by Partlett’s behavior to a significant number of people on the busy motorway during the daytime.
“It beggars belief why you’d conduct yourself in this manner,” Ms Perry said.
The court sentenced Partlett to a maximum jail term of four and a half years, with a non-parole period of two years and eleven months. Consequently, he will be eligible for parole in April 2026.
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