Former star wheelchair athlete Dino Foti’s addiction to methamphetamines leads to minimum two-year prison term

A FORMER champion Australian wheelchair athlete has been jailed for at least two years for low-level drug trafficking after becoming addicted to methamphetamines.

District Court judge Peter Brebner said three of the offences were committed after Dino Foti had been repeatedly given another chance on bail.

A FORMER champion wheelchair athlete has been jailed for at least two years for low-level drug trafficking after he became addicted to methamphetamines.

Dino Foti, 42, has been confined to a wheelchair since being left a paraplegic in a car crash when he was 17.

Foti — who previously went by the surname Priolo — raced for Australia in the inaugural 1994 World Paralympic Championships in Germany.

But 20 years on, his marriage disintegrated and he became hooked on methamphetamines.

After spending $80,000 of his savings by using half a gram of ice each day, Foti began selling illicit substances to fund his addiction.

Foti was busted with methamphetamines, cannabis, fantasy, a taser and a batch of driver’s licences and credit cards in other people’s names, in four separate searches between December 2014 and February 2016.

District Court judge Peter Brebner said three of the offences were committed after Foti had been repeatedly given another chance on bail.

Judge Brebner said while Foti’s offending was at the lower end of the scale for drug offences, his continued dealing on bail meant he must deter others from similar actions.

“You say you want to rehabilitate yourself and that you have renounced your former associations in the drug scene and that you have rarely succumbed to your cravings since your most recent release on bail,” Judge Brebner said.

“Your most recent failed (drug) test was several months ago and your attitude, your behaviour and your compliance with your bail have improved considerably in recent times.”

Despite Foti undertaking drug counselling and a psychological report saying he was unlikely to offend again, Judge Brebner said a prison term was his only sentencing option.

“Your course of conduct is simply too serious for good reason to suspend your sentence and ... the proper purposes of sentencing would not be achieved were I to make a home detention order. You will serve your sentence in prison,” he said.

Judge Brebner said Foti suffered declining strength in his hands and wrists as well as a number of other health issues which required medication and therapy.

The court heard prison would be “a greater burden” for Foti, who would need extra specialised assistance to stay healthy in jail.

“Corrections reports that although it can only generalise, it is nonetheless confident that your needs could be met if you were imprisoned,” Judge Brebner said.

“In all the circumstances imprisonment will not create a serious risk that your health will be gravely affected.”

Foti pleaded guilty to charges including five counts of drug trafficking, breaching bail and unlawful possession and was jailed for a total of four years and eight months but will be eligible for parole after serving two years in jail.