A man has been sentenced to nearly three years behind bars after firing a nail gun at passing cars, injuring two people, on the M1 motorway near Gosford on the New South Wales Central Coast earlier this year.

Reid Partlett, 20, was travelling in a truck with two other men when he used the nail gun to open fire on at least three vehicles between Somersby and Ourimbah at about 4pm on January 9.

Two men in their 50s were injured separately in the random attack. One was shot in the upper arm while the other suffered a head injury.

Partlett, who has been in custody since that day, pleaded guilty to five charges, including two counts each of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, destroying or damaging property, and resisting arrest.

During his sentencing in Wyong Local Court on Tuesday, Magistrate Kirralee Perry described Partlett’s actions as “absolutely appalling”, which “terrified” his victims and posed a serious risk of harm to all those driving on the road that afternoon.

The court heard he had a lengthy criminal history and was subject to four separate court orders when the shootings took place.

Partlett was sentenced to a maximum four-and-a half-years in jail, with a non-parole period of two years and 11 months.

He will be eligible for parole in April 2026.