Mackay man sentenced for cannabis, stealing, making threats and domestic violence

A man’s attempt to distance himself from ‘ice rampaging’ turned sour as a pivot to heavy cannabis use led to him screaming outside his partner’s home at 5am - and his first ever DV charge.

A man’s attempt to distance himself from, in his own words, ‘ice rampaging’ turned sour as a pivot to heavy cannabis use led to him screaming outside his partner’s home at 5am - and his first ever domestic violence charge.

A man claimed his efforts to curb his meth use led to paranoia worsened by heavy cannabis use and his first charges for domestic violence in a criminal history studded with drug offences.

An 11-year-old child called the police on a Mackay man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, who was found outside the residence of his partner at 5am “screaming” despite a domestic violence order banning him from the premises.

The 33 year old pleaded guilty on Friday to 18 charges including four breaches of a DVO, breaching bail, stealing, threatening violence, possessing drugs and drug utensils, and wilful damage of a Beam Scooter worth $1500.

“I have to get some help with my cannabis because it caused me some mental - when I got out in 2022, I used it as like a sedation to stop myself from ice - what I call ice rampaging,” the man wore prison greens as he spoke to Magistrates Court on a videolink from custody.

“And doing the break and enters and all that.

“But long term cannabis use has also caused me some problems as well, your Honour.”

Magistrate Athol Kennedy agreed that “long term, illegal drugs of any sort and some prescription drugs too, by the way, always, always, always leads to mental illness”.

Police prosecutor Ruth Whisker said the man had a “significant and relevant history” with numerous drug and burglary offences, but noted after spending 57 days in presentence custody her submission was for him to be sentenced and released on parole with strict new additions to the DVO.

Fisher Dore lawyer Sean Gibbs said his client had left home at age 13 before falling into drug addiction, and had met his partner only months before the offending began - noting she was in court to support the man.

Mr Kennedy scorned the fact that they had met “only December last year and he’s been before the court four times”, before noting she had “aided and abetted” him in ignoring the DVO “completely”.

The man was given a head sentence of six months imprisonment with immediate parole release and a 12 month term of probation, as well as being ordered to pay $1515.95 restitution to Beam Scooters.

Convictions were recorded.