Connor Apted: Violent Launceston teen jailed on 58 charges

A Tasmanian teen who previously pleaded guilty to 53 charges has been sentenced after committing five more offences, with the magistrate “guarded” about his prospects of rehabilitation.

A troubled Tasmanian teen who committed a string of aggravated burglaries and bashings amid a wild crime spree will spend at least six months in prison.

Itinerant Launceston man Connor Mason Apted, 19, previously pleaded guilty in Launceston Magistrates Court to 53 offences, with another five fresh offences added on Wednesday to which he also pleaded guilty to.

Apted’s previous offending included four counts of common assault, three counts of motor vehicle stealing, two counts of aggravated burglary, and multiple counts of stealing, driving unlicensed, destroying property and myriad other offences of dishonesty and anti-social behaviour.

The new charges were destroying property, hooning, interfering with a clamped vehicle and two counts of driving unlicensed.

The court heard the vehicle offences occurred on March 16–17 this year at George Town.

On March 16, multiple witnesses reported Apted performing a drift for three revolutions on a roundabout at the intersection of Franklin and Victoria streets.

The following day, police discovered Apted at a nearby address in possession of a vehicle which was clamped at Norwood on March 11.

A search of the vehicle uncovered the clamp and a grinder.

Meanwhile, the destroying property offence occurred at Mowbray on April 12.

Apted threw an empty stubby into a residence across the road from a party he was attending, breaking a window and cracking a roof tile.

Defence lawyer Andrew Lonergan told the court his client had spent a total of 74 days in custody spread across three periods since April.

He has remained behind bars continuously since May 28.

Magistrate Sharon Cure acknowledged Apted had a “difficult childhood” but told the court if the defendant didn’t rehabilitate himself, “he is facing a revolving door of going in and out of jail”.

“He probably knows that,” she said.

Ms Cure said she didn’t want to make “predictions” about Apted’s prospects, but she was “guarded” about his future unless “dramatic” changes were made to his life.

Ms Cure sentenced him to 10 months’ imprisonment, backdated to May 14, four months of which would be suspended for an operational period of two years, conditional upon Apted entering into a 12-month community corrections order.

Originally published as Connor Apted: Violent Launceston teen jailed on 58 charges