Bowls protege jailed after facing 10 charges

A southeast Queensland professional sportsman and rising star of the bowls scene has been thrown in jail for a list of offences including assaulting police.

Joel Benjamin Andersen pleaded guilty in Caboolture Magistrates Court to 10 charges. Picture: Joel Andersen/Facebook

It was the final straw for professional bowls player Joel Benjamin Andersen when the young sportsman was jailed for a string of offences.

The one-time protege and Club Kawana bowls club player — who is paid $250 to play professional games — pleaded guilty to 10 charges in Caboolture Magistrates Court.

He had been out on bail when he arrived in court but was sent to jail by Magistrate Peter Hasted after a hearing today.

Joel Andersen rocketed to the top of Queensland bowls before being sent to jail.

Andersen, 24, pleaded guilty to assaulting and obstructing police in a public place while adversely affected by an intoxicating substance, causing a public nuisance in a licensed premises, failing to leave a licensed premises, driving without a licence, evading police and four counts of wilful damage of police property.

Character references were handed up on behalf of Andersen, who along with sister Kiani were once some of the country’s most promising young bowls players.

However a lengthy criminal history worked against a remorseful Andersen who, the court heard, had been on both a suspended jail term and parole at the time of his offending and had recently overcome drug addiction.

Bowls talent Joel Andersen was jailed today after pleading guilty to 10 offences.

While the court heard Andersen had handed himself into police after the evasion and made full admissions to the offence, Magistrate Hasted said the court had run out of sentencing options for the young man, ordering him to serve time behind bars.

He was given a head sentence of 12 months’ jail for disqualified driving, along with an array of other prison terms including 50 days’ jail for evading police.

He was also fined $500 for failing to leave a licensed premises and disqualified from driving for 30 months.

Andersen will be released on parole on April 4.

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