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Waikiki: toy gun lands a man in prison

Gabrielle JefferyWeekend Kwinana Courier

A VERY DRUNK man who pointed a plastic gun at shoppers at the Waikiki Village Shopping Centre late last year has been jailed.

Appearing via videolink at Rockingham Magistrates Court today from the maximum security Casuarina Prison, Christopher James O’Reilly pleaded guilty to being armed to cause fear.

He also pled guilty to five unrelated charges of obstruct, disorderly and not having a valid ticket from two separate incidents at the Rockingham train station on October 11 and 27, 2018.

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The plastic gun incident happened at 5.05pm on October 28 last year.

Before it O’Reilly had been at Fantasy Park on Rand Avenue shooting a friend with a gel blaster assault rifle before they had an argument.

O’Reilly left and made his way to the shopping centre.

When there he began pointing the gun at buildings, cars and people before he put it in his backpack and boarded a bus to the foreshore.

There was a major police response after reports to police from the public.

The prosecutor said the weapon was a fake gun that was capable of firing ‘little gel balls’.

“In today’s environment if someone pointed it at me I would think it was real,” he said.

Magistrate Vivien Edwards held a picture up of the weapon.

“It looks very real,” she said.

The duty lawyer said the weapon was readily available at Target stores.

“They do shoot pellets not capable of hurting anyone,” she said.

The prosecutor disagreed the gun was readily available at the shops.

The lawyer responded she had bought one.

“I bought a gel shooter for my nephew from Target for Christmas,” she said.

“Although someone wielding something that looks like an assault weapon would make others afraid.”

She said he was intoxicated at the time.

“There was a major police response where the police discovered a very drunk man with a plastic gun,” she said.

Magistrate Edwards asked O’Reilly if he got the gun from Target.

“I got it from the hobby shop in Rockingham,” he said.

“You were armed with what appeared to be an assault rifle and were pointing it at cars and buildings – no doubt causing a great deal of consternation in people,” she said.

“There was a major police operation in response.

“It warrants prison – no other penalty fits other than that of last resort.

“I consider last resort has been reached.”

He was given an 11-month term to be backdated to October 31 when he was taken into custody.

He will be eligible for parole.

He was fined $1500 for the train station incident where he caused a knee injury to the station guard who was trying to detain him.