A Hampden man involved in a car crash pointed an imitation Glock firearm at a woman from whom he sought help.
Jamie Robin Laing, 32, was sentenced in the Oamaru District Court yesterday after earlier pleading guilty to a raft of charges including injuring with intent to injure, two charges of presenting a restricted weapon at a person, drug-impaired driving and multiple other driving offences.
The court heard that, on November 16, the defendant was a passenger in a vehicle involved in a crash.
He went to a nearby property to get help, but he ended up in an argument with the woman.
As the quarrel continued, Laing pulled out an imitation Glock airgun (concealed on his person) and pointed it at the woman angrily.
A neighbour saw the exchange and approached the pair.
He attempted to defuse the situation, but Laing pointed the airgun at him too.
The man wrestled with Laing, and was able to disarm him.
But during the tussle Laing bit the man on his right thigh, causing it to bleed.
The woman said she was ‘‘shaken and scared’’ by Laing’s behaviour.
On October 5, Laing drove his racing quadbike on London St, Hampden.
The road was closed because of slips, so trucks and cars were lined up waiting for it to open.
Laing sped towards about 20 people before doing doughnuts.
A few weeks later, he used someone’s tractor to try to pull his ute out of a ditch.
He became agitated when his efforts were unsuccessful and drove the tractor through a locked gate, destroying it and a fence.
Judge David Ruth sentenced Laing to 21 months’ imprisonment, but gave him leave to apply for home-detention, ideally to a residential rehabilitation facility.
The judge also disqualified Laing from driving for nine months, ordered him to pay $2034.77 for blood-analysis and $810 for damaging a police vehicle.
