Jesse James Ryan fined $10k over raft of charges

A serial offender has claimed he’s seen the error in his ways and wants to go to rehabilitation after he was picked up on a six-month crime spree featuring dodgy cocaine.

Jesse James Ryan pleaded guilty to a raft of charges including drug possession and evade police, which had a mandatory minimum $5500 fine or 50 days in custody and a two year disqualification.

A Mackay serial offender has been slapped with a whopping $10,000 fine following a six-month crime spree that included being busted with meth, dodgy cocaine and marijuana, and speeding off from police.

This was not Jesse James Ryan’s first rodeo in Mackay Magistrates Court.

So when his lawyer pushed the argument his 25-year-old client wanted to go to rehab, Magistrate Damien Dwyer questioned why Ryan didn’t go in 2018, 2019, 2020 or 2021 while on parole for serious violent offending.

“It’s rubbish, that’s all I can say to it,” Mr Dwyer said.

ATSILS solicitor Dan Lane argued things were different — his client was a father now.

But Mr Dwyer countered asking why Ryan hadn’t made the choice when his child was born 12 months ago.

“He’s had ample opportunity... I take that with a grain of salt,” Mr Dwyer said.

The court heard in fact between March and August 2024 Ryan kept committing offences including being caught with testosterone, cocaine and 326g of marijuana he bought for $1000 during a police raid at his Eimeo home.

He told police the marijuana had been for the whole house’s use — he also admitted to buying a white powder believing it was cocaine, but when he snorted it the substance did not taste like cocaine and burnt his mouth.

Jesse James Ryan pleaded guilty in Mackay Magistrates Court to dangerous driving and unlicensed driving on Bridge Road.

During another raid at a Dolphin Heads home Ryan was caught possessing 2.85g of meth, that he admitted he had bought for $350 for his own use.

The court also heard he had never held a car or motorbike licence but that didn’t stop him riding around on a Harley Davidson motorbike.

He pleaded guilty to a raft of charges including drug possession and evade police, which include a mandatory minimum $5500 fine or 50 days in custody and a two year disqualification.

His lawyer Mr Lane said Ryan was a youthful offender at 25, even if he was on the upper end and now had an 11-month-old child.

Mr Lane told the court his client had been working as a concreter until about April and had been unemployed since — he wanted to look for work as a labourer but would go back to concreting if he could not find a job.

“He knows what his future is like if he keeps it up,” Mr Dwyer said.

“What I want to hear is, I did this... I did go to rehab... not I’m gonna go.”

Mr Lane submitted his client made full admissions indicating remorse, and argued Ryan’s erratic offending “speaks of somebody with a drug problem”.

Mr Lane pushed for a fine for the evasion and the court heard Ryan already had a SPER debt totalling $9000 for which he was making repayments, and if he returned to concreting he would make good money.

Mr Dwyer voiced his doubt, telling Ryan, “your word is not worth a cent”.

“You take us for complete mugs.”

Mr Dwyer told Ryan if he was as enthusiastic about doing things for his family and his drug addiction as he was about ensuring his drug supply was sorted he’d be “a lot better off”.

Ryan was fined $10,000 and disqualified from driving for 39 months.