A North Queensland man who armed himself with guns, silencers and a knife and shot a woman in the face after a business deal went sour has been sentenced to eight years behind bars.
The Supreme Court in Townsville heard on Friday that Shane Anthony Cregan, 50, was having a dispute with the woman's partner about the sale of his Hummer vehicle.
Growing frustrated after communication between the pair broke down, Cregan went to their home in the semi-rural Rangewood area outside Townsville in November 2019 to confront them about it.
The court heard the former gun shop owner ambushed the 40-year-old woman when she was leaving her home to go to work, firing a rifle in her face.
"She heard a crack and felt something strike her face," Crown Prosecutor David Nardone said.
"He entered the garage still armed with the rifle and Ms Moore called out to her partner.
"Mr Cregan struck her with the butt of the rifle while she continued to scream for help."
The woman kicked away a second gun and dragged her body under the car.
The court heard a violent scuffle continued, with Cregan attempting to strangle her and eventually grabbing her by the ankles in a bid to drag her out from under her car.
After hearing her screams, the woman's partner came to intervene.
He attempted to grab the gun from the then-47-year-old and it fired again during the struggle.
A group of good Samaritans nearby heard the commotion, and came to help.
The court heard Cregan then armed himself with a hammer and hit a tradesman on the head after he had rushed to assist.
The violent rampage came to an end after Cregan found himself surrounded.
Cregan could be heard saying:
He told police when he was arrested that he knew the pair and had been "ripped off."
He was charged with several offences including attempted murder, which was eventually downgraded to malicious acts with intent.
All three victims were taken to hospital.
The woman required surgery to remove shards of the bullet from her face.
The court heard the woman declined to give a victim impact statement as it would be too traumatic to relive the events of November 20, 2019.
In handing down the sentence Justice David North labelled the attack as a "dangerous and vicious escapade".
He described Cregan's behaviour as "outrageous."
"You had the opportunity to stop the attacks and leave the premises, but no, you armed yourself with a hammer and attacked," Justice North said.
Justice North took into account Cregan's early guilty plea, and remorse in handing down the eight-year head sentence.
The court heard Cregan had no criminal record prior to the incident.
The former plumber and aspiring entrepreneur was supported by friends and family in the Supreme Court in Townsville.
Cregan will be eligible for parole on November 19, taking into account time already served.
