Alyssa Maree Stockton faces court in bail bid for car theft charges

A Mackay teen with substance abuse problems and alleged links to car thefts has copped a dressing down from a magistrate over her ‘bad drug shot’ decisions.

A Mackay teen facing a string of charges was mistakenly released from custody after a bizarre series of events let her loose on the street.

While mistakenly released, Alyssa Maree Stockton said she had a ‘bad shot’ of ice, causing her to miss the court date that would have gotten her on a flight to a Brisbane rehabilitation clinic.

The court heard the teenager was originally applying for bail on September 2 to attend the rehabilitation clinic after a week of being in custody at the Townsville Correctional Centre.

The court heard the 18-year-old was being flown from Townsville to appear in Mackay Magistrates Court at 11.30am on Thursday September 2 to make her second flight from Mackay to the rehabilitation centre at 11.50pm.

Magistrate Damien Dwyer told the court he had gone to lengths to help Stockton manage the narrow window, including arranging the parties to make a bail application and organising his clerk to deliver it to the watch house.

But Mr Dwyer said there was an “unfortunate delay” which resulted in the teenager missing her first flight, putting her travel on hold.

Mr Dwyer said he was concerned Stockton would not show up the next day, so did not proceed in granting her bail.

“It was my intention to keep you in custody until 11am the next day [Friday], and then give you your bail so that you could take it to the plane, ” Mr Dwyer said to Stockton.

But the magistrate’s intentions were not realised.

Mr Dwyer said the undertaking for the bail in the Mackay watch-house was delayed, and the new shift of workers were not made aware Stockton was not to be granted bail.

She was released on Thursday night.

“And we didn’t see you again until [the following] Thursday,” Mr Dwyer said to Stockton.

While Mr Dwyer accepted the teenager at the time believed she had bail, he said the issue was the fact she did not return to court on Friday as mandated.

She was eventually arrested a week later outside Taylor’s Hotel in Mackay, and her excuse for failing to appear did not help her cause.

“I had a bad shot,” Stockton said to Mr Dwyer.

“Yep you had a bad shot, that’s exactly right — you went straight back to the drugs,” Mr Dwyer said.

“I’m not satisfied you’re not going to do the same thing when you get to Brisbane.”

Stockton had been charged with possession of property suspected of having been used in connection with a drug offence, possession of tainted property, receiving tainted property, obstructing police, authority for controlled drugs and two counts of unlawful use of motor vehicle, driving unlicensed after being disqualified by a court order, failing to appear in court undertaking and four breaches of bail among other charges.

Her lawyer Paul Broughton argued that his client was “fair dinkum” and “knew she had done the wrong thing”.

“She’s a drug addict,” Mr Broughton said.

But Mr Dwyer refused Stockton’s application for bail.

She is expected to appear again in Mackay Magistrates Court on September 20.