A Tasmanian man who pointed a handgun at a family’s front door and threatened to shoot has been jailed along with his son over a night-time home invasion.
47-year-old Stuart Alexander Ferguson and Ty Ferguson, 27, were sentenced in the Supreme Court of Tasmania this month after pleading guilty to aggravated burglary and three counts of assault.
The court heard the attack on June 7, 2025 followed a fight at a 21st birthday party in Gagebrook, where a Ferguson family member was injured.
Stuart Ferguson, who was not at the party, went there with his son Ty and another man, but police were already at the scene and sent them away.
About 8:15pm, four men drove to the home of the man involved in the fight, where he was with his parents and 16-year-old sister.
The court heard Stuart Ferguson had a handgun in his waistband and Ty Ferguson was carrying a spanner.
The group kicked the front door, tore down a CCTV camera and smashed a glass panel to get inside.
Once inside, Ty Ferguson handed his father the spanner and Stuart Ferguson swung it at the family’s father, missing him and hitting the hallway wall.
A thrown ornament cut the father’s lip and a torch struck his son in the head, leaving a three-centimetre cut that needed stitches.
The family, who had armed themselves with a knife and a piece of wood, repeatedly shouted at the men to get out.
Outside, Stuart Ferguson pointed the handgun at the front door and threatened to shoot, the court heard.
Justice Tamara Jago said she had watched the CCTV footage and the family’s resistance was likely the only reason they were not more seriously hurt.
“This was a terrible home invasion, perpetrated with the intention of exacting retribution,” she said.
The court heard the family was so frightened they moved house.
“Their sense of safety and security has been impacted. Each member of the family has experienced significant psychological harm,” Jago said.
“They suffer with flashbacks, anxiety, disturbed sleep, panic attacks, hyper vigilance and anxiety.”
“Instead of feeling safe and secure in their home, they are constantly on edge and feel apprehensive and vulnerable.”
The court heard Ty Ferguson joined in at his father’s request, but Justice Jago said that made no difference.
“It was blatantly obvious that violence was to be inflicted and harm would be caused,” she said.
Both men have long criminal records, including earlier convictions for aggravated burglary.
Justice Jago said their guilty pleas, entered on the day the trial was due to start, carried little weight.
“They simply are a reluctant acceptance of the inevitable given your criminal conduct was captured on CCTV,” she said.
Stuart Ferguson was jailed for three years and three months, backdated to January 11, with a non-parole period of two years.
Ty Ferguson was jailed for three years, backdated to September 7, 2025, with a non-parole period of 21 months.
A compensation order was made for the family, with the amount yet to be decided.
