An Australian police officer pointed his gun at a colleague who threatened to give away the plot of a Hollywood blockbuster, a court heard this week.
Constable Dominic Francis Gaynor, 30, was working behind the counter at a police station in Sydney in May when a colleague said he had seen "Top Gun: Maverick," the Tom Cruise movie released in 2022.
The junior colleague, Probationary Constable Morgan Royston, who made the legal complaint, told Gaynor he had just seen the movie and added: "I’ll spoil it for you."
According to court documents cited by Australian broadcaster ABC, Gaynor laughed and said, "Don’t spoil the movie" and "I’ll shoot you," before taking his Glock handgun out of its holster and pointing it toward Royston for five seconds.
The document says Gaynor was laughing throughout and that his finger was not on the trigger but on the receiver.
New South Wales Police told NBC News in an emailed statement Friday morning that ABC's account is accurate, but declined to comment further.
Gaynor pleaded guilty to carrying a firearm with disregard for the complainant's safety, ABC reported.
Royston appeared at a hearing at Downing Centre Local Court on Thursday, where he described suffering from depression and anxiety as a result of the incident and said he had since left the force, according to ABC.
Chris Micali, Gaynor’s counsel, told the court his client had not intended to intimidate Royston but admitted he had made an error. Micali added the conviction would definitely lead to Gaynor losing his job.
Gaynor was given a two-year good-behavior order and told to carry out 100 hours of community service.
Magistrate Michael Maher said in his sentencing remarks, according to the Australian Associated Press, that the defendant had shown "clearly dangerous reckless judgment."
The judge added that while he accepted that Gaynor had taken responsibility, he doubted the true extent of his remorse.
"I am somewhat guarded as to his understanding of the true impact that he’s had to his colleague," he said, according to the AAP.
"Top Gun: Maverick," a sequel to the 1986 classic "Top Gun" that follows the exploits of an elite squadron of Navy pilots, was the highest-grossing movie of 2022, making $719 million in ticket sales while winning praise from critics.
