Man who shot own leg said he was drive-by victim

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An Englishman who shot himself in the leg with an air pistol told police he was the victim of a drive-by shooting.

When he appeared in Queenstown District Court yesterday, English national Jamie Mathew Sutherland, 24, of Frankton, admitted carrying an air pistol on March 2.

Prosecuting Sergeant Ross Hutton told the court Sutherland was in a suburb in which many families lived and with a preschool nearby.

Mr Hutton said a witness who was familiar with pistols saw the defendant pull the weapon out from the right-hand side of his trousers and look about before walking on towards the Frankton Motor Camp.

The witness was disturbed by the defendant's manner, described as being "suspicious'', and his possession of what the witness believed to be a genuine firearm, and called the police.

Sutherland called for an ambulance and told the call-taker he had shot himself with an air pistol. Ambulance officers who attended noticed a small red welt on his right thigh consistent in size with an airgun pellet.

Sutherland was met by armed police who told him to get down on the ground. He began reaching for a lump under his shirt and was taken to the ground.

At the time, Sutherland "vehemently denied'' he had been in possession of a pistol. He said he had been the victim of a drive-by shooting and described a car that had fired at him as it passed by, Mr Hutton said.

No weapon was found on the defendant and the lump under his shirt was a digital scanner broadcasting the police frequency.

Sutherland maintained he did not own or possess a pistol or airgun and said he was a victim. However, a search of his home found airgun pellets and an empty mobile phone box that had been used for target practice.

Judge Michael Turner convicted Sutherland and remanded him on bail for sentencing on April 23.