Bracken Ridge man ripped mirror off car, assaulted police, racked up $10k in damages
The court heard the man had “given up” trying to comply with court orders due to his heavy reliance on alcohol.
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The “short, sharp shock” of a week-long prison stay proved insufficient to deter a Bracken Ridge man from reoffending, as he returned to the Sandgate Magistrates Court recently for resentencing on more than a dozen charges.
Patrick Sapagi Tagaloa, 25, blamed a debilitating addiction to alcohol and methamphetamines for his ongoing criminal behaviour which caused more than $10,000 worth of damage to the community between November 2016 and October this year.
The court heard Tagaloa’s offending ranged from aggressively ripping off the side mirror of a car during a fit of road rage, to damaging shop front windows, stealing expensive toiletries and evading police.
He faced 28 charges including stealing, wilful damage and assaulting police while intoxicated, many of which had already seen him sentenced to both probation and community service.
Despite the seriousness of the prior court orders, duty lawyer Jane Bruxner from KLM Solicitors said Tagaloa had simply “given up”.
“He was aware this was where he was going to end up, and he takes responsibility for that,” Ms Bruxner said.
Tagaloa’s failure to comply with the probation and community service conditions meant he had to be resentenced by Magistrate Sheryl Cornack.
He pleaded guilty to all charges.
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Ms Cornack said it seemed as though the dual citizen, also from New Zealand, was “hell bent on getting deported”.
“It’s sad (your time in prison) didn’t get you to see the world in a clearer perspective,” she said to Tagaloa.
“You’ve shown an abject disregard for the rights of the people around you to live a peaceful life without interference.
“If you don’t commit yourself to a life without drinking, drugs and criminal acquaintances you’ll end up spending more time in jail.”
The young man was sentenced to a total of 13 months imprisonment, with 50 days served in pre-sentence custody and parole eligibility on December 21.
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