Carl Ian Jones: Man in court over alleged Eneabba shooting, bail refused

A man accused of shooting an acquaintance in the arm after a verbal altercation in Eneabba allegedly then hid the firearm before he was arrested, a court was told. Carl Ian Jones, 45, was refused bail in Geraldton Magistrates Court court on Wednesday after allegedly shooting a 40-year-old man on Monday night. The court was told the alleged victim went to visit Mr Jones, who lived next door to his niece, at his home on Nairn Court in Eneabba about 11.20pm when a verbal argument broke out. It’s alleged Mr Jones produced a shotgun and fired the weapon. The alleged victim suffered damage to the internal structure of his right arm and minor wounds to his chest from pellets from the shotgun. The court was told he fled the scene and sought first aid from a nearby resident. He was driven to Jurien Bay Health Centre and later flown to Perth by Royal Flying Doctors Service. The court was told that if left untreated the injury could have resulted in the man’s arm being amputated. Police prosecutor Sgt Paul Burkinshaw alleged Mr Jones hid the shotgun at an undisclosed location before he was arrested and subject to forensic testing. Mr Jones has not entered pleas to charges of grievous bodily harm. Defence lawyer Melissa Wishart said there was “certainly” more to the incident and although Mr Jones found himself in a difficult position, there were bail conditions that would keep the community safe. Applying for bail, she said Mr Jones ran a meat transport company in Eneabba and could employ drivers to “wrap up” current orders so he could relocate to his mother’s house in Safety Bay. The court was told Mr Jones was a sole carer of his 15-year-old child who stayed with him every fortnight and when he was on break from agricultural college in Morawa. Sgt Burkinshaw opposed bail, stating there was a significant risk to the community while the gun was yet to be found. But there was confusion on whether the firearm had been located, as Mr Jones gave instructions that he was told detectives had found the gun. Magistrate Matthew Walton said it was an “extraordinary and significant” set of accusations and the injury was of “particular seriousness”. He said the missing shotgun had a direct flow-on to the potential danger, safety and welfare of any person. Given the nature of the allegations, their seriousness and noting Mr Jones was in breach of a suspended imprisonment order imposed in June for driving offences, Mr Walton refused bail. The court was told Mr Jones had completed an intensive supervision order for a previous endangering life offence. Mr Walton said he took into account Mr Jones had a business and had part-time care of his son, but it did not outweigh the seriousness of the alleged offence. Mr Jones will next appear in the Geraldton Magistrates Court on March 28 for legal advice. Outside of court, Geraldton police confirmed two unlicensed shotguns were recovered as a result of a search warrant at the scene.