Kasey Tyson King, 22, has already been jailed over a shooting. Photo: Facebook.
The gunman who shot his victim in the leg in Belconnen last year has now been sentenced for a string of other offences committed around the same time while on a drug binge, including when he broke into a woman’s home and bashed her in front of her children and took police on a lengthy car chase throughout Canberra.
Kasey Tyson King was arrested the day after the shooting at the Abode Hotel on 18 August 2021, which left his 56-year-old victim in hospital for a month with a broken tibia.
The ACT Supreme Court sentenced the 22-year-old to four years and eight months’ jail with a non-parole period of two-and-a-half years over the incident before he was brought before the circle sentencing Galambany Court on Friday (12 August) to be dealt with over other charges.
Special Magistrate Anthony Hopkins said King went to a woman’s home on 31 July 2021, kicked the front door in, grabbed her by her ankles and pulled her off the lounge.
While she was on the ground, he punched and kicked her in the head in front of her two young children.
He smashed a television and stole the woman’s PlayStation 5 before leaving.
Special Magistrate Hopkins said this must have been a terrifying experience for the woman, but also noted King had told the court how he felt about his actions.
“This is something that gives you great shame,” the special magistrate told him. He said the next incident was a “very serious example of dangerous driving”.
On 19 August 2021, the day after King shot the man in Belconnen, he drove a stolen Ford Ranger in a police pursuit in Queanbeyan.
He made it into Canberra where police spotted him and directed him to get out of the car, but he drove on, narrowly missing a police officer at one point.
He drove all over the city, including on the footpath, on the wrong side of the road and sped in the pursuit before eventually coming to a stop and being arrested after a chase on foot.
Special Magistrate Hopkins said this was all “drug-fuelled offending” as he was under the influence of methamphetamine and heroin at the time.
He also said King was remorseful and was sorry about what he had done.
King had a childhood marred by violence and substance abuse, became homeless when he moved to the ACT as a teenager and Special Magistrate Hopkins told him, “you learned wrong before you learned right”.
The court had also heard from his mother, who said, “you were a different man when you were off the drugs”.
King pleaded guilty and was convicted on charges including assault, burglary, theft, damaging property, failing to stop for police, furious or dangerous driving and breaching last year’s COVID-19 lockdown.
Special Magistrate Hopkins added an extra 10 months to the head sentence imposed by the Supreme Court and extended his non-parole period by four months.
This means his new sentence is a total of five-and-a-half years ending in February 2027, with a two-year and 10-month non-parole period that ends in June 2024.
He was also disqualified from driving for 12 months.
After the sentencing, Ngambri and Ngunnawal Elder William Tompkins urged King to think about what he had done and show that he was willing to make up for his actions.
“Stay strong and positive,” the elder told him before he was led away by prison guards.
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