Man who shot into police officer's home jailed

A man who fired a shot into a Carterton police officer's lounge window narrowly missing him, was yesterday sentenced to 4-1/2 years jail.

Masterton police, including area controller Inspector John Johnson and CIB officers turned out in force yesterday at Masterton District Court to support Constable Peter Cunningham, who was there with his wife and two daughters.

Robert Glen Walker, 42, of Carterton was sentenced to 4-1/2 years on the charge of committing a crime using a firearm, two years for a threatening act with intent to intimidate, two years for carrying a firearm with intent to commit a crime, three months for unlawful possession of a firearm and three months for discharging a firearm near a dwelling house.

On two further charges of receiving he was sentenced to six months, with the jail terms to be served concurrently.

He was also ordered to pay $3516 reparation for a damaged window and curtains.

Judge Ian Mill told Walker that Mr Cunningham had been involved in an investigation "which involved you and you didn't like that".

He added: "You had a rifle and ammunition in your car and you formulated a plan to shoot through the officer's window with the intention of frightening and intimidating him and his family."

Defence counsel Peter Stevens said that while the prosecution appeared to indicate Walker had been planning the attack for some time, that was not so.

He had decided on the spur of the moment to drive past Mr Cunningham's home, which he did twice.

There was no movement in the house, no lights were on and he thought the curtains were closed.

Thinking everyone was asleep he elected to shoot at the downstairs window -- he fired one shot and left the scene believing there was no one in the area where he fired.

Mr Stevens said when Walker later became aware that police were looking for him he gave himself up and in a "full and frank" video interview acknowledged what he had done.

Judge Mill referred to Walker's many previous convictions, some for violence, and said the cause behind the offending was the use of alcohol and drugs and Walker's propensity for violence.

He described the shooting as a "cowardly attack, which had had a serious effect on Mr Cunningham and his family".

After sentencing, Mr Cunningham said that even though Walker's actions had shattered his family's trust, he was not a man to hold grudges.

"The penalty has been handed out and that is the end of it," he said.

He and his family had found the experience very difficult to deal with because the attack was at a place where they should have felt secure, he said.

- WAIRARAPA TIMES-AGE (MASTERTON)