Regardless of staring down the rifle of an unstable, ranting alleged terrorist, a dive store employee stated he selected to be variety, even providing his captor a bottle of water.
A routine work day for Neil Hay turned dramatic when Simon William Fleming is accused of coming into the Windang Dive & Spearfishing premises on the morning of November 28, 2021 to take hostages.
"Sorry, you are the one ones open," he stated to Hay.
The informal dive store employee, who remained within the retailer with Fleming for about an hour, selected to not upset him, as an alternative asking if he wanted assist after which offering some water earlier than he was let go.
Hay described the scene to a NSW Supreme Courtroom jury on Tuesday, saying Fleming appeared "unstable" as he barricaded himself within the store, in suburban Wollongong.
"I did not need to antagonise him as a result of he was extremely agitated," he stated.
With a bolt-action rifle, a reproduction gel blaster army rifle and a mock bomb, Fleming muttered to himself and ranted about how Australia was a communist police state the place its residents had been managed with out their information.
The dive store's proprietor, Keith Woods, was additionally allegedly held hostage however was let go early, leaving Hay alone inside with Fleming.
"Mr Hay, you are to be recommended in your calmness and your kindness on that day," stated Justice Helen Wilson.
Earlier that morning, retired military veteran Keith Rule was driving by the realm and stated he noticed Fleming at an intersection firing his rifle and pointing it at one other automotive.
"I had a fast considered operating him over," he instructed the jury.
Deciding to not as a result of there was an opportunity Fleming may fireplace and hit his spouse, Mr Rule stated the couple pulled over at a petroleum station.
He then adopted Fleming on foot, yelling at him.
"Oi dickhead, what do you suppose you are f---ing doing? That is Windang. Put the f---ing weapon down," he shouted at Fleming.
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The Crown alleges Fleming's actions had been a case of terrorism, motivated by a want to intimidate the Australian public and the federal government.
He's contesting the cost that he was motivated by terrorism, in addition to costs for utilizing a firearm in a fashion prone to endanger members of the general public, detaining the hostages, utilizing a faux bomb to create a false sense of hazard and unlawfully possessing gel blasters discovered at his residence.
His mom, Carol Fleming, stated her son had been struggling withdrawals from ache remedy which not labored as meant for 15 years earlier than the incident on the dive store.
"Typically he could be in tears and begging for assist. Very often he wished to die," she stated.
Expressing a eager curiosity in religions, Fleming transformed to Catholicism in 2018 and claimed he had seen the Shroud of Turin, presupposed to be the burial fabric of Jesus Christ bearing his face, in a cloud.
Beforehand a loner, Fleming discovered friendship in Bible research and drew calligraphy for these he knew by the church till COVID-19 lockdowns eliminated face-to-face meet-ups.
Mrs Fleming, who continuously broke down in tears within the witness field, stated she was by no means instructed by medical doctors that her son had a psychological sickness however knew due to the remedy he took and experiences she had seen.
Physique-worn footage performed to the jury confirmed frantic chatter between law enforcement officials as they tried to securely take care of the scenario earlier than Fleming surrendered and was arrested.
Throughout negotiations with police, he demanded that "all face masks be faraway from Australia".
The court docket beforehand heard that in his manifesto he railed towards migrants, transgender folks, the Chinese language and left-wing Marxists and claimed he wished to fireside a "warning shot" to the federal government.
The trial continues.
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