THE former owner of a Two Wells eatery has been jailed for at least three years and seven months over an incident where he charged at police with a hand gun in his pocket
Hillbank man Dean David Allsopp, 29, faced the Adelaide District Court earlier this month after pleading guilty to charges of aggravated possessing a proscribed firearm without a licence, contravening a firearms prohibition order and possession of a category H firearm without an identifying mark.
He was sentenced to four years, two months and 12 days in prison, with a non-parole period of three years and seven months
The charges stemmed from an incident at Hillbank on December 23, 2018, when a woman called police after a man arrived at her home bloodied and asking for help.
Judge Jo-Anne Deuter told the court Allsopp was spotted running towards a paddock while they were speaking to the woman.
Allsopp slowed to a walk and looked towards the police “a number of times” before looking away, which prompted police to approach him, before he fled.
After running from the police he turned around and ran at the officers while putting his hand in his pockets, which prompted them to pepper spray Allsopp as he reached towards his left leg.
In his left short pocket, police located a Beretta model 92FS handgun with a 9mm Luger calibre in the magazine and the gun’s serial number ground off.
A later search of Allsopp’s home found an open handgun case, an open safe in the kitchen and evidence the gun had been fired earlier including holes in a number of walls, a spent cartridge and a bullet which tests confirmed had been fired by the handgun located on Allsopp during the earlier police chase.
Allsopp told police earlier on the night of the incident he was at home when a friend of his, a Mr Koop, entered his house being chased by two men, who attacked him while Allsopp and his partner locked themselves in the bathroom.
While in hiding, Allsopp claimed he heard a gunshot and when he left the bathroom, all three men were gone and the handgun and blue case were still in the house.
He then said he picked it up and took it to the bathroom, then when police arrived at the home he fled over the back fence with the gun in his pocket.
Judge Deuter refused to accept Allsopp’s version of events on the “balance of probabilities”.
“Further to this, your evidence is that you only heard one gunshot while you were hiding from what was going on in the front of your house,” she said.
“The police evidence is that following the search of your home multiple bullet holes with found in walls that matched a spent bullet that was found, and that bullet had been fired from the gun later found on you.
“I find that this evidence supports a conclusion that the firearm had been fired in your home on an occasion or occasions before December 23, 2018.”
The incident also constituted a breach of bond for Allsopp dating back to a charge of driving whilst disqualified in May 2018.
Allsopp was the former owner of the Two Wells Snack Bar on the town’s main street and had previously served jail time for firearms and assault offences.
In sentencing, Judge Deuter said Allsopp had “not made good” on his chance after being offered leniency in relation to his prior offending.
“I consider your current offending to be an escalation of the offending committed by you in 2012,” she said.
“Having possession of a loaded, operative handgun in a public area, particularly whilst under the influence of drugs, is an extremely dangerous act. It potentially puts members of the public at great risk.”
