Gareth Heron, who was involved in the shooting of another man in Flatbush earlier this year, has been sentenced.
Alex Ulu, 23, was shot in the stomach in Eastland Rd, Flat Bush on January 2, and died in hospital two weeks later.
Heron, 25, today pleaded guilty to being an accessory to manslaughter, after having already pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a sawn-off .22 rifle and ammunition. He was sentenced to 16 months in jail.
Heron took the gun to Mr Ulu's home on January 2, where Mr Ulu was with his cousin Percy Fepuleai.
The gun ended up being passed to others at the address, who were apparently unaware that the gun was loaded, and Mr Ulu was shot.
Heron did not fire the shot but fled the scene with the gun and hid it. He was found by police two days later.
Judge David McNaughton described the shooting as "a terribly sad incident" and recognised that Heron had warned people on January 2 that the gun was not a toy.
He gave Heron credit for pleading guilty early on, and also took notice of Heron's remorse over the incident when sentencing him.
"You are, I accept, extremely remorseful and have been since day one.
"I'm aware it has been a sobering time for you Mr Heron."
But Judge McNaughton hoped this would be a wake up call for Mr Heron, who has been in court a number of times before.
Fepuleai, 29, is charged with manslaughter and firearms offences. He will be sentenced on July 2.
3 News
source: newshub archive
