Shaun Michael Hartstone, 25, appeared in the High Court at Dunedin yesterday four months after the incident, which left a "bullet-pint arrow" lodged in the 54-year-old victim’s fatty tissue.
The court heard it fortunately missed all the victim’s vital organs and was removed during surgery and he was discharged from hospital within 24 hours.
Hartstone had previously shared a home with the man and had stored a Honda trail bike in the garage there, according to a Crown summary.
On April 9, the vehicle was stolen and the defendant’s suspicions over the victim’s role in that led to a string of aggressive episodes in the ensuing weeks.
First, Hartstone returned to the address early on April 21 and someone in his ute launched fireworks at the victim, who was sitting in his garage.
The victim later found his van had a smashed window along with two broken arrows.
The final chapter of the saga played out only hours later when Hartstone turned up again with at least one passenger.
Court documents noted he was armed with a "Siege 300" compound crossbow he used for hunting.
On hearing him arrive, the victim emerged from his garage carrying an axe and walked towards the ute.
"You f...... deserve it, you f...... c...," Hartstone said.
When the victim was 2m away, he reported hearing a sound "like the pinging of a rope".
The 39cm arrow penetrated his stomach near the belly button and became embedded deep inside his gut.
Hartstone sped away and holed up in Oamaru, where police found him a couple of days later.
Members of the armed offenders squad executed a warrant at the home and despite the strong police presence, the court heard Hartstone remained defiant.
He "thrashed around" and had to be wrestled to the ground as two officers attempted to restrain him.
The defendant told one of them: "I’m going to kill you. When I get out, I’m going to find your house and shoot you."
Inside the property, police found the crossbow, arrows and fireworks.
Justice Rachel Dunningham said Hartstone’s comments to associates before the attack showed it was highly premeditated.
He told his girlfriend he would "teach the victim a lesson" and, in speaking to another friend, he explicitly said he was going to shoot the man.
Initially, Hartstone said he was not the one who fired the crossbow but later admitted counts of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, resisting police and threatening to kill.
He told police at the time of his arrest the victim "deserved to go in the ground, be 6 foot under".
The judge described it as a vigilante attack.
"You clearly decided to take the law into your own hands," Justice Dunningham said.
Counsel Sarah Saunderson-Warner said her client’s childhood was tumultuous, Hartstone having attended various schools and spent time in state care.
He had diagnosed mental health issues and had struggled holding down employment or sustaining long-term relationships, she said.
The judge said the defendant’s decision not to take his prescribed medication was a voluntary choice and clearly led to his "volatile behaviour".
The court heard Hartstone had three recent convictions for assaulting police and two for threatening behaviour.
