Drug-addicted dad sentenced to jail after leaving sons on roadside

A drug-addicted father has appeared in court after allegedly abandoning his six and seven-year-old sons on the side of the road with their dog. But that was just the start of a long list of crimes.

A drug addicted father left his two boys, aged 6 and 7 on the side of the road. PHOTO: FILE

A 33-year-old father of three pleaded guilty to a number of offences including abandoning his six and seven year old sons on the side of a road in Redcliffe Magistrates Court yesterday.

The offences, which occurred on February 8, were just two of 12 charges before the court.

Magistrate Bucknall described the act as “unbelievable”.

SCROLL DOWN FOR THE FULL LIST OF CHARGES

“He left them on the roadside with their dog and simply abandoned them and told them to go and knock on someone’s door,” Magistrate Bucknall said.

“I can only imagine the impact that would have had on them.”

The court heard the offender was drug affected at the time.

It was just the start of a long list of crimes.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, crashed his car into a broken down vehicle on the Bruce Highway on February 15.

Police Prosecutor Sergeant Tim Clare said the man was lucky to walk away from the crash.

“Consequently both vehicles were written off, no one was in the other vehicle,” Sgt Clare said.

Then on February 28 and March 1 the man contravened a Domestic Violence Order.

The second incident was the most serious.

During the altercation he dragged his finger across his throat, gesturing to the aggrieved and then tried to grab her around the throat.

The aggrieved then hit the offender over the head with a baseball bat.

“If she is about to get grabbed by the throat and she’s got a baseball bat and she has whacked him with it then good her,” Magistrate Bucknall said.

“She probably prevented injury to herself.”

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Magistrate Bucknall said there were a number of Domestic Violence incidents scattered in the offender’s seven-page criminal history report.

“He was convicted of three breaches of Domestic Violence protection orders in Sandgate Magistrates Court on November 25 and given a probation order of 14 months, which must have reflected the severity of the offences,” he said.

Magistrate Bucknall noted that he had reoffended “not too far” into his probation period.

The man who has already been behind bars for 107 days was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment for contravening the domestic violence order on March 1.

He received two months for the Domestic Violence charge on February 28.

Magistrate Bucknall took into account the time already served and released him on parole today.

He was fined $1200 in relation to the other charges.

The man was disqualified from driving for six months.

Full list of charges

December 8, 2019: Drug driving

February 8, 2020: Possesses a dangerous drug

February 8: 2x leave a child under 12 unattended

February 15: Driving without due care and attention

February 15: Possessing dangerous drugs

February 28, 2020: Contravene Domestic Violence order

March 1: Breach Domestic Violence protection order

March 2: Stole a mobile phone

March 1: Possess cannabis

March 2: Possession of a knife

March 2: Possession electronic scales associated with a dangerous drug