Bradley John Wilson, 25, applied for bail in the ACT Supreme Court on Thursday. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
A drug dealer was allegedly shot in the face in North Lyneham during an attempted robbery in an incident that has seen charges issued to four people.
The ACT Supreme Court heard that Bradley John Wilson and a co-accused arranged for the drug dealer, the complainant in the matter, to go to a house on 21 March 2025.
“Give me all you’ve got,” he is accused of saying when the complainant arrived.
When the complainant tried to leave, Wilson allegedly shot him in the face and shoulder using a homemade shotgun.
He was arrested and taken to the Alexander Maconochie Centre, but a few days later, he was accused of talking to a co-accused from prison about retrieving firearms from where they were hidden.
The 25-year-old applied for bail in the Supreme Court on Thursday (13 November), during which his lawyer, Hassan Ameen from the Aboriginal Legal Service, argued prosecutors had a circumstantial case.
Mr Ameen said his client disputed making the alleged “Give me all you’ve got” comment and said when considering the injuries that firearms could cause, the complainant’s injuries were at the bottom of the range of seriousness.
He said his client had been offered a place at a residential rehabilitation program in NSW.
“He’s still a person of a young age,” Mr Ameen said.
“This is the first time he’s been given an opportunity to undertake a residential rehabilitation program.”
But prosecutor Erin Priestly, who opposed bail, argued the alleged offending posed a high risk to the complainant’s safety.
“The nature of homemade firearms is that they are not manufactured in a safe way,” she said.
As a result, she alleged Wilson could not have been certain what could have happened with the homemade shotgun.
Ms Priestly also alleged he had engaged significantly with a co-accused in the matter, who was also his 25-year-old female partner.
But Mr Ameen said that while his client had spoken to his partner after he was taken into custody, she did not become his co-accused until several months later.
Justice David Mossop said it appeared Wilson did not dispute firing the gun, but claimed the circumstances were different from what was alleged by the prosecution.
The judge did not think it was appropriate to grant bail, given the alleged risks that he might interfere with the co-accused or the complainant. The bail application was dismissed.
The partner and 26-year-old Thomas Alexander Quirk-Buckley were both arrested earlier this year, while a fourth person has also been issued charges to face court over the incident.
Both the partner and Quirk-Buckley have been accused of helping Wilson and remain before the courts. All three have been charged with attempted robbery and assault by joint commission, while Wilson is also charged with discharging a firearm.
The court heard the case against Wilson did not have a trial date, but any trial was expected to take place after June 2026.
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