The victim of a murder attempt is "extremely fortunate" to be alive after he was shot in the face over "undeserved" allegations of paedophilia, a judge has said.
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Justice David Mossop made that comment in the ACT Supreme Court on Friday, when he jailed gunman Sugimatatihuna Bernard Gabriel Mena for nearly 10 years.
Mena stood trial twice before a jury found him guilty, last December, of attempted murder, aggravated burglary and an act endangering life.
Co-offenders Rebecca Dulcie Parlov and Bradley Joe Roberts were also found guilty of aggravated burglary.
Sentencing Mena on Friday, Justice Mossop outlined how Parlov had asked Roberts to collect some methamphetamine from a female drug dealer in March 2021.
Roberts met the dealer at the Bonner shops and had a confrontation with her male driver.
The driver challenged Roberts about whether it was him spreading rumours he was a paedophile.
In response, Roberts said he would "get Sugi" and "come back and whack you".
During the hours that followed, Parlov and Roberts sent a series of messages that indicated their desire to confront the driver about whether the rumours were true.
They eventually tracked the man to the drug dealer's home in Spence, where they burst in.
The driver armed himself with a knife, believing the intruders were about to "rush" him.
Mena then entered behind the others and pulled a sawn-off .22 rifle from his waistband.
He shot the driver in the stomach before fumbling with the gun while reloading it.
Mena subsequently raised the weapon again and shot the man in the face.
During the incident, he mumbled something about the victim being "a kiddie fiddler".
After the offenders fled the home, the victim was taken to Calvary Hospital with life-threatening gunshot wounds.
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He was transferred by helicopter to Canberra Hospital, where he spent a week in an induced coma and underwent several rounds of surgery.
"It was extremely fortunate [his injuries] were not fatal," Justice Mossop said, also noting the ongoing psychological harm the victim outlined in a statement to the court last week.
All three offenders pleaded not guilty, and Justice Mossop said it remained unclear where the allegations of paedophilia originated and why the trio "took on the role of vigilantes".
However, the judge described the rumours about the victim as "undeserved and unparticularised".
At the time of the shooting, Mena, 24, was subject to five different good behaviour orders.
He has been behind bars on remand since his arrest, and Justice Mossop said his behaviour while in custody had "not been promising".
The judge ultimately sentenced Mena to nine years and 10 months in jail.
He imposed a non-parole period of five years and five months, which, with time already served on remand, will make Mena eligible for release in April 2027.
Like Mena, Parlov has maintained her innocence and has therefore shown no signs of remorse.
But Justice Mossop said the 26-year-old had recognised the need to "break free" from illicit drug use, which appeared to be the primary cause of her longstanding criminality.
Parlov asked to be granted bail, with her sentencing deferred, in order to attend a residential drug rehabilitation program in the NSW town of Orange.
Justice Mossop agreed to that proposal on Friday, saying Parlov had demonstrated "sustained motivation" to reform since being remanded in custody over this incident.
It was also important to give Parlov the opportunity to rehabilitate, the judge said, noting her history of offending had come at a considerable cost to the community.
Justice Mossop indicated he would ultimately sentence Parlov to three years and three months in jail.
Parlov has already served nearly nine months on remand, and the question of whether to suspend the remainder of the prison term is set to be determined on June 5.
In the meantime, she will be granted bail from next Monday in order to attend the drug rehabilitation program.
Roberts, meanwhile, remains behind bars on remand ahead of a sentencing date on June 9.
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