The sentence came more than six years after Helen Preedy, then 61, suffered a bullet wound to her neck as she was walking along Kilpatrick Street.

Judge Clive Jeffreys handed Cory Dean Beagley a four-year aggregate term when he fronted for sentencing on Friday morning.

A non-parole period of two years and three months means that Beagley will be in jail until August, 2020.

Beagley was given a three years and three month term on a charge of firing a firearm with disregard to the safety of other persons.

He got a sentence of 15 months’ jail on a second charge of causing grievous bodily harm.

Beagley was facing a trial by jury in the District Court in Albury in November, on four charges, when the Crown sought leave to hand-up a fresh indictment.

A jury had already been empanelled and Judge Jeffreys had even given directions to members on evidence. That resulted in Beagley pleading guilty to the charges on which he was sentenced.

A charge of using a prohibited weapon, that is a .22 calibre firearm, without a licence or permit was withdrawn.

The sentencing initially was to take place in Sydney in early March, after the preparation of a pre-sentence report.

Judge Jefferies was told in an amended Crown outline of the case that Beagley, 36, had accepted “it was possible” he had used the firearm after returning to his home on the evening of December 28, 2011, “but could not remember due to his level of intoxication”.

It was about 7.30pm when Ms Preedy left her home to go for a walk after finishing dinner with her husband.

While heading south on Kilpatrick Street, about 20 metres east of the Nixon Street intersection, “the victim felt pain to her neck and started bleeding”.

Ms Preedy sought help from nearby residents, who called an ambulance that took her to Corowa hospital.

She was transferred to Albury hospital the following day.