PHONE taps revealing text conversations between a shooter and his mate were entered into evidence at a Melbourne court room on Thursday morning, over a 2019 home invasion at Bendigo.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The County Court was told 31-year-old Justin Talbot and two others had forced their way into a home and demanded to know the location of a man they believed had stolen a motorcycle.
The person they were looking for was not there and Talbot instead turned his attention on a house guest sitting on a couch and shot him in the knee.
Talbot, of Bendigo, has pleaded guilty to charges of home invasion and intentionally causing serious injury over the event, which took place on September 29, 2019.
Prosecution documents provided to the court state that the victim was a 45-year-old man from Footscray who had travelled from Melbourne the day before to spend time with friends.
His hosts had gone to bed and he had been sitting on the couch when two men burst through the rear door of the property then walked through the home to open the front door and let a third invader inside.
Talbot, holding a single barrel sawn-off shotgun spoke to the house guest and demanded to know where the alleged motorcycle thief was, while the others searched the home.
The victim said he didn't know and Talbot cracked him to the head with the butt of the gun.
The court was told that after about five to 10 minutes, Talbot walked up to the house guest who was still seated on the couch, put the shotgun to his right knee and pulled the trigger. The three men then fled the property.
The hosts got out of bed and called a taxi and then thought better of it and summoned an ambulance to take the victim to hospital.
The house guest was taken to Bendigo Hospital and later transported to the Royal Melbourne Hospital where he underwent surgery to remove shotgun pellets and shotgun cartridge wadding from his knee.
Prosecution documents show that police began tapping Talbot's mobile phone sometime after and intercepted text messages between him and a friend discussing a new girlfriend.
Talbot wanted to know the identity of his friend's new girlfriend and said he was hurt because the information was not being shared.
The friend said there was nothing to tell and Talbot responded: "I told you when I shot someone".
A further separate text exchange between Talbot and another friend saw Talbot raise the subject again, this time in relation to duck hunting - which police believe may have been code for homemade alcohol.
"I can hunt duck, I can f*ckin' shoot people in the leg too".
Talbot complained in one series of messages that the other two men who he had committed the home invasion with him had cut him off and one had unfriended him on Facebook.
The case before court is continuing.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:
- Download our app on iOS and Android
- Bookmark bendigoadvertiser.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter @BgoAddy
- Follow us on Instagram @bendigoadvertiser
- Join us on Facebook
- Follow us on Google News