Joshua Patrick Seaward pleads guilty to drug, stealing, driving charges

A 27-year-old Kingaroy man went on a two-month meth bender involving break-ins, receiving stolen property and passing out while driving in the middle of an intersection.

Joshua Patrick Seaward pleaded guilty to 14 charges at Kingaroy Magistrate Court.

A 27-year-old Kingaroy man went on a two-month meth bender involving break-ins, receiving stolen property, and passing out while driving in the middle of an intersection.

Joshua Patrick Seaward pleaded guilty in the Kingaroy Magistrates Court on Monday to 14 charges including receiving tainted property, possession of a dangerous drug, enter a dwelling with intent at night, driving uninsured, breach of bail and driving while a relevant drug is present.

Police prosecutor Barry Stevens told the court on August 18 last year, police conducted a search warrant at a Seaward’s home and car where they found a “large quantity of assorted jewellery items” along with tools and a stolen number plate.

Sergeant Stevens said the items were stolen from a house in Nanango and a house in Kingaroy on August 11 and the number plate was stolen on August 17.

When questioned, Seaward said another person had put the items into his car, the court was told.

Police also found meth inside the house that Seaward said belonged to him.

Sgt Stevens said on another occasion that month, a Kingaroy homeowner found his vacant property had been broken into and handed CCTV footage over to police.

The footage showed Seaward cut a windscreen in the bathroom and searched the house, although nothing had been taken.

“Initially he denied involvement … but when shown the CCTV evidence he told police it was probably him, he was on the drug ice at the time,” Sgt Stevens said.

Seaward told police he broke into houses when he was on ice and “loses control”.

Joshua Patrick Seaward outside the Kingaroy Magistrates Court.

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The court heard after the offence, Seaward wrote “two letters of apology” to the homeowner and offered to pay for the damage.

Police had also pulled Seaward over on August 16 and found 0.1g of meth and “several used syringes and needles”.

His registration and licence plates were also cancelled and he failed a roadside saliva test, the court heard.

On September 28 last year, at 8.13pm, police were called about a vehicle “not moving” at the intersection of Haly and Youngman streets in Kingaroy.

“The vehicle was (turned) on along with the headlights … police approached the vehicle and observed the defendant slumped over the driver’s seat, his seatbelt holding him up and drool from his mouth to his chest,” Sgt Stevens said.

Police attempted to wake Seaward using “pain stimuli” but were unsuccessful and an ambulance was called when “he kept going back into semi consciousness”.

The court heard Seaward had previously been charged more than 50 times relating to stealing, break-ins, drugs and fraud and had also spent at least 125 days in prison.

Seaward was employed by AMG Electrical but was terminated because of his last round of offending, the court was told.

Seaward’s lawyer, Jay Rose, said since October Seaward had been able to “maintain sobriety” by entering rehab and had gained employment in the “electrical industry”.

Ms Rose said he had cut “all associations” that were impacting him negatively.

The court heard his mother and father are respected members of the community and have been supporting Seaward in his rehabilitation.

Joshua Patrick Seaward pleaded guilty to 14 charges in the Kingaroy Magistrates Court.

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The court heard Seaward started his drug use as a teenager, which Magistrate Andrew Sinclair said was a “serious drug addiction.”

“You have struggled with drugs in various times in your life and you have succumbed to that addiction again,” he said.

Mr Sinclair said the break-ins and theft were “very typical” of people with drug addictions.

“Conventional wisdom says that I should sentence you to a lengthy period of imprisonment so that you and all other drug offenders know that if you succumb to your addictions, as you seem to recognise, you will behave in a way totally different to the you that stands here before me today,” the magistrate said.

Mr Sinclair said Seaward had shown he was “capable” of rehabilitation.

“Unlike other drug offenders, you’ve got yourself clean and stayed clean,” he said.

Seaward was sentenced to two years’ prison to be released immediately on parole.

He was also suspended from driving for 18 months and fined $1500.