Rifle in public 'extremely serious' - judge

Robert James Atkinson, 31, pleaded guilty in Masterton District Court yesterday to the charge of pointing a gun in public.

A Martinborough man who sparked a day-long police manhunt has pleaded guilty to pointing a gun in public.

Robert James Atkinson, 31, pleaded guilty to the charge in Masterton District Court yesterday, after a second charge of unlawfully carrying a firearm was withdrawn by police.

Atkinson was arrested in February after the armed offenders squad, dog handlers and a helicopter were called out to Martinborough in the wake of reports of a man pointing a gun.

Police searched White Rock and Tuturumuri and eventually arrested Atkinson north of Martinborough.

Defence lawyer Ian Hard said his client had pointed the rifle at a vehicle, not its occupants, and it was a "fleeting" mistake.

Since being arrested, Atkinson had been attending AA meetings and counselling, Mr Hard said.

Judge Barbara Morris said the charge was "extremely serious" and a result of a "tumultuous time in your life and a resort to drugs".

"You were in a public carpark with a hunting rifle equipped with a scope and you pointed that in the direction of where people were."

She said "imprisonment is often the start and often the finish" of sentencings involving gun charges.

However, Atkinson had no record of similar offending and his last offending was in 2009.

Judge Morris said she took into account the amount of time Atkinson had spent on electronically monitored bail, which equated to a 10-month home detention sentence.

She convicted Atkinson but imposed no other sentence.

However, if Atkinson reoffended within the next 12 months, he would be sentenced on this charge as well, she said.