A Hobart man who threatened to shoot his mother while pointing a fake homemade firearm at her face has walked free from court with a suspended sentence.
Zachary Nathanial Galpin, 33, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault over the incident at the family’s Goodwood home in June 2023.
The Supreme Court of Tasmania heard Galpin accused his mother of stealing his mobile phone before pulling the imitation weapon from his waistband.
He pointed it at her and said: “You’ve got five seconds to find my phone.”
Justice Helen Wood told the court the victim believed her son had “snapped” and was about to kill her.
The homemade device was built from a black alloy tube, a plastic pistol grip and bent wire shaped to resemble a trigger guard.
While it couldn’t fire live ammunition, it was made to look like a small handgun.
The court heard the mother pretended to call Galpin’s phone but secretly dialled triple-zero, hanging up before speaking to police.
Galpin kept threatening her, at one point saying he would “take out” her kneecaps.
When he became distracted, she bolted for the front gate, but he chased after her, yelling: “Stop or I’ll shoot you.”
The victim’s daughter heard the commotion and helped restrain Galpin on the ground. Only then did he reveal the weapon was fake.
In a victim impact statement, the mother described the ordeal as terrifying and devastating.
Despite this, she told the court she hoped her son would achieve sobriety and find happiness.
The court heard Galpin had a troubled upbringing, marked by exposure to violence and drugs and developed an opioid addiction after fracturing his skull in a workplace incident at age 16.
His father’s unexpected death in 2018 sparked an ongoing estate dispute that further strained his relationship with his mother.
Justice Wood noted Galpin had also experienced significant hardship on remand, including violent assaults by another prisoner.
Galpin was sentenced to 16 months imprisonment, backdated to February 2025.
With around 242 days already served, the remainder was suspended for two years.
“The terror and fear you instilled and the experience she endured is in and of itself a serious consequence of your crime,” Justice Wood said.
She accepted there was some prospect of reform but expressed reservations about whether Galpin could sustain the effort required.
Galpin must comply with a two-year community correction order, including drug treatment, mental health support and regular supervision.
He is required to return to court for a review hearing in March 2026.
