Beau Amos pleads guilty to meth possession, attempting to pervert justice

A father staring down the barrel of a lengthy spell behind bars offered to pay someone $25,000 to ‘take the fall’.

A Bucasia father staring down the barrel of a lengthy jail term after he was busted with meth and weapons months after his release on bail offered to pay someone $25,000 to “take the fall”.

While Beau Amos was in custody on remand at Capricornia Correctional Centre he spoke with six people 22 times trying to find someone to provide a false statutory declaration to police.

Mackay Supreme Court heard the 39 year old was offering $25,000 if the fake document resulted in police dropping charges against him.

Beau Amos pleaded guilty in Mackay Supreme Court to aggravated meth possession and attempting to pervert the course of justice among a raft of charges.

Amos was arrested on May 12, 2021 after a police raid at his Bucasia home uncovered just more than 7g of pure meth stashed in a bleach bottle under the sink, 36g of marijuana in a cryo bag in his cupboard, a metal silencer, semiautomatic rifle and ammunition.

Justice Graeme Crow said the combination of drugs and weapons was “of grave concern”.

“Persons that involve themselves in drug culture and acquire weapons should expect to see the inside of a prison,” Justice Crow said.

The court heard this was barely five months after Amos had been released on bail following a search of his bag on November 18, 2020 at Northern Beaches Bowls Club revealed 17.507g pure meth in 22.146g of substance and 19g of marijuana, as well as other drug-related items.

Prison call logs revealed during May and June 2021, while in custody, Amos spoke with six people 22 times looking for someone to “take his charges” from the May search at his home.

“You either tasked these people or sourced others to accept responsibility for the drug items that you’d been charged with or asked them directly to take responsibility for them,” Justice Crow said.

“You provided very specific details.”

The court heard Amos said if police discontinued their proceedings against him “as a result of the false statutory declaration that you would pay the author of the false statutory declaration $25,000”.

“You went a long way to try and get out of this,” Justice Crow said.

The court heard his acquaintances even found someone to “take the fall”.

Amos pleaded guilty to a raft of charges including aggravated drug possession on the grounds the meth was for a commercial purpose, unlawful weapons possession and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

The 39 year old was charged with aggravated meth possession on the grounds the amounts he possessed was for a commercial purpose.

“You had an opportunity to make amends and turn your back on drugs and use your qualifications … to get back to work, to care for your son, to provide assistance to your former partner,” Justice Crow said.

“If things weren’t bad enough … then you, not doubled down but tripled down with your attempts to pervert the course of justice while in prison.

“It shows a lack of remorse, it shows someone trying to avoid their criminal conduct.”

The court heard he had a number of high level qualifications after working in the mining industry, which Justice Crow accepted gave him good prospects of rehabilitation “should you choose to turn your back on drugs”.

Amos was jailed for a total of four years with immediate parole eligibility, and the 485 days in presentence custody were declared as time already served. Convictions were recorded.