Mijo Barsic pleads guilty to drug driving, assault charges

A drug-affected truckie, who was twice caught with ice in his system behind the wheel, tore out a woman’s hair in a vicious assault.

Mijo Barsic leaving Geelong Magistrates Court on Thursday.

A drug-affected truckie, who was twice caught with ice in his system behind the wheel, tore out a woman’s hair in a vicious assault.

Mijo Barsic, 49, appeared in Geelong Magistrates’ Court on Thursday and pleaded guilty to four charges, one count of common law assault, two counts of failing an oral fluid test, failing to produce his driver’s licence on request and failing to keep an updated work diary.

Prosecutor Leo Faust told the court on October 31, Barsic pulled a woman’s hair during a “struggle”, tearing some out, which was later found by police as a “clump” on the floor.

Barsic had left the scene inMount Duneedbefore police arrived, and was later found at an address in Laverton North and arrested.

The court heard when interviewed Barsic, of Bell Post Hill, admitted to putting the woman in a headlock to “restrain” her.

Prior to the assault, police prosecutor Senior Constable Alex Turner told the court Barsic was twice nabbed driving trucks with ice in his system.

In the early hours of October 16, Barsic was driving in North Shore when he was intercepted by police, Constable Turner said.
After a breath test came back negative, a subsequent oral fluid test came back positive for meth at 2am, the court heard.

Two weeks later, Barsic was driving a truck north on the Goulburn Valley Freeway, when he was stopped at a routine check, Constable Turner told the court.

Barsic was unable to produce his driver’s licence and a work diary.

When ice was found in his system, Barsic told officers he “didn’t even know (he) had it in his system”, the court heard.

Constable Turner told the court that the proximity of the two drug-driving offences, both while operating a truck, were troubling.

Barsic’s lawyer, Tom Edwards, told the court Barsic was a hard worker who was “heavily-involved in the workforce” since leaving school.

He’d worked as a truckie for decades, delivering fertiliser and machinery across Victoria and interstate, regularly making trips to Adelaide and NSW.

Mr Edwards said Barsic had no “criminal history of violence” and had “complied fully” with bail conditions.

“We have a man that has very little priors, in terms of criminal offending,” Mr Edwards said.

Magistrate John Lesser suggested Barsic “had an issue with methamphetamine”.

However, Mr Edwards said Barsic’s instructions were it was “not an issue that is prevalent in his life”.

Mr Edwards said the loss of licence was going to have a significant impact on Barsic’s job.

Mr Lesser convicted Barsic and sentenced him to 45 days in prison, reckoned as time served, for the assault.

He was fined $1750 for the drug-driving, along with a 13-month licence suspension.

Originally published as Mijo Barsic pleads guilty to drug driving, assault charges