An Australian police officer has been sentenced for threatening to shoot a colleague after warning him not to reveal details of a blockbuster film.
Constable Dominic Gaynor, 30, was at work at a police station in Sydney when the incident unfolded in May.
Complainant Morgan Royston, 26, threatened to reveal the plot of the Top Gun: Maverick movie to Gaynor.
This prompted Gaynor to pull a pistol from its holster and aim it at his co-worker, court documents said.
Gaynor is said to have initially laughed when Royston made his threat to ruin the ending of the 2022 Tom Cruise, which Royston had seen the night before.
Another colleague left the room, at which point Gaynor told the other man not to give away any spoilers – using expletives.
He is quoted by the court papers as saying: “I’ll shoot you”, before pointing the gun in Royston’s “vicinity” and holding it for five seconds.
Gaynor’s finger was on the gun’s receiver – rather than the trigger – and he laughed throughout the the incident, the documents state.
He pleaded guilty to carrying a firearm with disregard for the complainant’s safety.
ABC reported that Royston, who has since left the force, became emotional as he told the court he fell into depression after the incident.
Reading his victim impact statement, he described having “completely lost the trust” he had in the force.
Gaynor’s lawyer said his client acknowledged his mistake while denying any malicious intent to scare or intimidate.
He told the court this was a case of “skylarking and tomfoolery” that had “gone awry”. He said his client was remorseful, and that the incident would “cost him dearly”.
In his sentencing, the judge noted the “power imbalance” between Gaynor and his more junior colleague.
He acknowledged several character references for Gaynor, saying the officer’s actions represented “an unfortunate lapse of judgement”, which was not representative of his “true character”.
Gaynor was today handed a community corrections order for two years, 100 hours of community service, and recorded a conviction, ABC reports.