A Tasmanian man who shot a “fireball” at police officers during a six-hour siege has been sentenced to three years in prison.
Samuel McGlone, 34, pleaded guilty to creating a common nuisance after igniting an 8.5 kilogram gas bottle as officers forced entry to his barricaded Forest farmhouse on July 10, 2024.
The flame, reaching temperatures up to 1,000 degrees, was fired from just 1.5 metres away.
“Each of the officers feared for their lives,” Supreme Court Justice Tamara Jago said in her published sentencing remarks.
Police had previously said, in a statement following the incident, McGlone was to face charges for arson and attempted murder.
McGlone had prepared the Mengha Road property as a death trap, drilling doors and windows shut, coating walls with synthetic oil and positioning pierced aerosol cans throughout the building.
Police were called after McGlone cut off his electronic monitoring device that morning.
During negotiations, he threatened to “take you all out” and warned officers the house was “a f—king trap”.
“There is a lot of combustible goods in here … we all go together,” he told police.
Justice Jago said McGlone’s actions were “incredibly reckless and dangerous” and could easily have killed first responders.
“Once you ignited the gas bottle, you really had no control over what would occur,” she said.
At least one police officer required psychiatric treatment following the incident.
The court heard McGlone was experiencing severe drug-induced psychosis after months of daily methamphetamine use, but Justice Jago said this did not excuse his conduct.
“… Whilst your drug-induced psychosis may go some way to explaining your conduct, it is by no means a justifiable excuse for what you did,” she said.
McGlone was found hiding under the floorboards wearing motorcycle armour.
He suffered burns to his arm, leg, back, scalp and lips.
Justice Jago acknowledged McGlone’s traumatic childhood, rehabilitation efforts in custody and the support of his former employers, who plan to re-employ him upon release.
He will be eligible for parole after serving 18 months, backdated to July 2024.
McGlone had been on bail for separate family violence charges when the siege occurred.
