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The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
National
Blake Foden

Alleged gunman to fight attempted murder charge

Sugimatatihuna Mena, who is charged with attempted murder. Picture: Facebook

An alleged home invader will fight a charge that he attempted to murder a man in a suburban Belconnen shooting.

Sugimatatihuna Bernard Gabriel Mena, 23, is accused of firing at the man with a sawn-off .22 rifle during a violent intrusion at a Spence property early on March 11.

Police have previously said the victim turned up at Calvary Hospital in "a critical and unstable condition" after the incident.

Detective Inspector Marcus Boorman told media the man presented with a number of gunshot wounds, including one to his abdomen.

Mena, of Bonner, was initially charged with intentionally inflicting grievous bodily harm and two counts of discharging a firearm in circumstances endangering life.

He was later also hit with charges of attempted murder and aggravated burglary over the same incident.

On Tuesday, defence lawyer Andrew Fraser told the ACT Magistrates Court his client was pleading not guilty to all five of those charges.

Mena did, however, plead guilty to unrelated charges of possessing methamphetamine and heroin in February last year. The court heard a drug trafficking charge would be withdrawn.

MORE COURT AND CRIME NEWS:

The 23-year-old, who appeared over the phone from the Alexander Maconochie Centre, will be sentenced for those offences in November.

Magistrate Glenn Theakston committed him to the ACT Supreme Court for trial on the March charges, with the matter listed for directions in that court next Thursday morning.

Two people accused of invading the Spence home alongside Mena were also committed for trial on Tuesday.

They are Bradley Joe Roberts and Rebecca Dulcie Parlov, who have each pleaded not guilty to a single count of aggravated burglary.

All three defendants are remanded in custody.

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