ACT Supreme Court hears closing arguments of Sugimatatihuna Mena allegedly shooting man in face

Sugimatatihuna Bernard Gabriel Mena, 24, is charged with attempted murder, an alternative allegation of intentionally inflicting grievous bodily harm and unlawfully discharging a firearm in an act endangering life.

Co-accused Bradley Joe Roberts and Rebecca Dulcie Parlov, both aged in their mid-20s, were charged along with Mena with joint commission aggravated burglary.

All three have pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.

The trial, which began last Monday, surrounds an alleged event on March 11, 2021 when the victim was in a car with a woman who cannot be identified at Bonner shops about 3.00am.

The unidentified woman allegedly met Roberts, who said he wanted to do something to the victim as he believed he was a "kiddie fiddler" which the woman denied being the case.

Later that morning, the unidentified woman allegedly received multiple Facebook messages and calls from Parlov who said the victim was a "kiddie fiddler" and they were on their way to her house.

Parlov and Roberts allegedly then forced themselves into the unidentified woman's home when she opened the door, before Mena allegedly came in, took a gun out of the waste of his pants and shot the victim in the stomach.

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Mena then allegedly reloaded the gun and shot the victim in the face.

In his closing address, prosecutor Trent Hickey said the jury may already be satisfied this act was attempted murder when they heard Mena allegedly walked through the front door, said something along the lines of the victim being a kiddie fiddler and shot him in the stomach.

For the rest of the jurors in doubt, Mr Hickey argued when Mena allegedly reloaded the gun and shot the victim in the face, that should indicate the act was attempted murder.

"Mr Mena wasn't shooting to scare [the victim] he was shooting to kill him," Mr Hickey said.

The joint commission of aggravated burglary, which Mena, Parlov and Roberts were all accused of as a group, was another charge Mr Hickey argued should be found to have occurred.

Mr Hickey said "there must have been an arrangement" between the three accused to go to the woman's house and enter without permission due to the "relentlessness" of missed calls and texts to the unidentified woman.

The evidence given by both the victim and the unidentified woman was Parlov allegedly kicked and yelled at the door, telling the woman to let her inside.

Mr Hickey said the victim and unidentified woman concluded Parlov was going to get inside anyway which is why the woman opened the door.

"You can imagine, how they were feeling in the house after all these text messages and calls," Mr Hickey said.

Court adjourned for the afternoon as Mr Hickey indicated to the jury the rest of his closing arguments would be heard in the morning.

Defence is also expected to give their closing arguments later on Wednesday.

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