Confessions of an attempted murder made by a Riverina man were nothing more than "gobbledegook" in an effort to appear tough to his drug associates, a Wagga court has heard.
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Ian Richard Wishart was acquitted of four offences he was charged with following a police investigation last year - shooting at a person with the intent to murder, stalk/intimidate to cause fear or physical harm, assault and possessing an unregistered firearm.
Police alleged Mr Wishart, from The Rock, pointed a shortened rifle at a woman and tried to fire it during a fight at a Wagga home in the early hours of September 10.
Officers arrested Mr Wishart after listening to intercepted phone calls between him and his friends and family, during which he made claims he held "something" at the woman, but "the bullet fell out sideways".
During today's trial in Wagga District Court, Crown prosecutor Max Pincott said officers' concern at what was said was understandable.
Mr Pincott quoted some statements from Mr Wishart, including "I pointed something at her and said 'call me a dog again and I will put a hole in ya'".
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"What they are faced with here is that, in a short period of time, there are several calls of the same ilk," Mr Pincott said.
The prosecutor admitted the gun allegedly used could not be found and the woman would not be called to give evidence, but they had an allegation "from the accused himself".
He asked the judge to consider why he would tell multiple people over the phone that he pointed a gun at her, and a bullet flew out.
"It has the ring of truth," Mr Pincott said.
"Police are still, despite [the victim's protestations] that nothing happened ... they are still faced with two critical pieces of evidence; the phone calls and the answers given in the electronically recorded interview of a suspected person."
Defence barrister Michael King said while it was understandable for police to have grave concerns about what they had intercepted, "the other evidence had been pushed aside and ignored because it doesn't fit with the phone calls".
Mr King told the court how the alleged victim continued to deny that anything involving a gun had happened, but the police did not believe her.
He said the phone calls that Mr Wishart makes "ebb and flow" as a new detail is added each time he tells the story, to make "himself seem tough to inspire movement on the drug front".
Mr King also related a text message exchange between Mr Wishart and the victim that, while filled with "raw emotion", makes no mention of the gun or attempted murder.
After listening to submissions and reviewing all the evidence, Judge Gordon Lerve acquitted Mr Wishart of all four charges and found him not guilty.
After the trial, Mr Wishart was sentenced on five unrelated charges to which he had pleaded guilty last year. These included supply of prohibited drugs and possessing an unauthorised prohibited firearm.
Judge Lerve said the matters were on the lower end of the scale and noted Mr Wishart's physical and mental health conditions. He sentenced him to a two-year community correction order.
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