Jesse Kelsall, 26, granted bail after prison officers allegedly find drugs in his car

A man has been granted bail after officers allegedly found drugs inside his car when he went to visit a friend at Barwon Prison.

A man has been granted bail after officers allegedly found drugs inside his car at Barwon Prison. Picture: Mark Stewart

Prison officers allegedly found drugs inside a man’s car when he went to a maximum-security jail to visit his mate, a court heard.

Jesse Kelsall, 26, from Hampton Park, east of Melbourne, fronted the Geelong Magistrates Court on Tuesday and was granted bail after being charged with drug trafficking and possession offences.

On August 10 this year, Mr Kelsall arrived at Barwon Prison in Lara in a black Volkswagen to visit a friend.

He obtained a visitor’s pass and entered the prison.

Prison officers then received intel to search Mr Kelsall but the court heard it was not known what the intel was.

Upon searching the vehicle, prison officers allegedly found a black bag with approximately 9g of methamphetamine, approximately 200mg of GHB, a glass pipe and digital scales.

Two mobile phones were also allegedly found inside the vehicle as well as $500 in cash inside Mr Kelsall’s wallet.

The court heard during a police interview after his arrest, Mr Kelsall made full admissions to possessing the drugs, told officers he wasn’t trafficking the substances and denied that he intended to take them inside the prison.

He allegedly told police he had won the cash online and had withdrawn it from an ATM.

Informant Senior Constable Josh Griffiths said Mr Kelsall was currently on three counts of bail for pending matters of drug trafficking and possession.

Mr Kelsall’s lawyer told the court this was his first time in remand as he has previously been bailed at police stations and that he had been sitting in the police cells for three days.

His lawyer said he has a “longstanding drug addiction” but limited prior criminal history.

The court heard he started to use methamphetamine about seven years ago, after the death of his mother, and GHB in March last year, after the breakdown of an eight-year relationship.

His drug use had escalated to taking 3 to 4mg of GHB every two hours.

“He uses drugs to regulate his emotions,” his lawyer said.

“The sad state is he hasn’t sought professional treatment in relation to his substance use.”

Magistrate Simon Guthrie granted Mr Kelsall bail with a number of conditions including a curfew and that he not use drugs.

“Don’t breach your bail,” Mr Guthrie told Mr Kelsall as he exited the courtroom.

Mr Kelsall will return to court in Geelong on September 17.

Originally published as Jesse Kelsall, 26, granted bail after prison officers allegedly find drugs in his car