Andrew George Pegley admits in Armidale District Court to 2015 shooting on Old Grafton Rd at Diehard

Andrew George Pegley was due to stand trial on Monday in Armidale District Court on several charges but reversed his plea of not guilty.

The 36-year-old appeared in the dock of the court on Tuesday morning for arraignment, and admitted to a fresh charge of firing a rifle at a house on Old Grafton Rd at Diehard with reckless disregard for safety of a man.

The charge, which carries a maximum of 14 years behind bars, stems from an incident on the remote property between September 1 and 2, 2015.

In court, Pegley also pleaded guilty to supplying cannabis leaf between September 1 and 3, last year.

He was found with 3.47kg of cannabis leaf at Diehard which is more than the traffickable quantity.

Pegley pleaded not guilty to one count of discharging the gun with intent to harm a man, but the court heard the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) won’t proceed with the charge.

Judge Michael King, who appeared via video link from a Sydney court, accepted the plea and adjourned the sentencing until next month.

Pegley was formally refused bail. He has been behind bars since the incident in September, last year.

Police were called to the property at Diehard on September 2 after reports of shots fired overnight and into the morning.

Officers claimed that when they arrived, the then-35-year-old was armed with a rifle.

A command post was set up at the time and local police were held at bay for several hours.

At the time, police said extra officers and negotiators had to be called to back up local police on the ground who had cordoned off the area.

Nearby residents were also moved to a safe-zone as a precaution.

Police confirmed Pegley was arrested after an eight-hour operation at the property.

He was initially charged with discharging a firearm with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, firing a firearm at a dwelling with disregard for safety, firing a firearm in a manner likely to injure persons or property, possessing ammunition without a licence or permit, possessing a prohibited drug and and supplying cannabis that was more than an indictable quantity.