Leslie Thomas Speeding pleads guilty at Byron Bay Court to carrying razor blades
A harvester was found with a box cutter and a container filled with blades after attempting to hide from police near Brunswick Heads.
Police & Courts
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A Central Coast man involved in a police pursuit on New Year’s Day on the NSW north coast was caught carrying a box cutter and razor blades.
Leslie Thomas Speeding pleaded guilty at Byron Bay Local Court on Tuesday to carrying cutting weapons.
The 43-year-old was driving a Ford Falcon during a police pursuit when he pulled over on the Pacific Highway near Brunswick Heads at 1.10am in the early hours of New Year’s Day, a court heard.
“At the end of the pursuit the accused was seen exiting and fleeing the car and attempting to hide in the bushes of the Pacific Highway,” police facts state.
Ten minutes later police found him holding a black backpack over his head.
Police told Speeding to place the backpack down, put his hands on his head and to get on the ground.
He was arrested and taken to Byron Bay Police Station.
“The accused backpack was searched and police located a silver box cutter and a blue case containing multiple spare blades,” police documents state.
The court heard Speeding had outstanding warrants at the time of offending.
Defence lawyer Kylie Anderson Clark said Speeding pleaded guilty on the day of a planned hearing, which saved the court time.
“He has been in custody since his arrest and is serving parole,” Ms Anderson Clark said.
“The box cutter is something he had in possession because it’s something he uses regularly in his occupation.”
Magistrate Karen Stafford said the maximum sentence for this type of offending is six months imprisonment.
“It’s your record that’s the problem which includes when you had custody of a knife in 2022 … you also have a home invasion while armed from 2016,” she said.
Ms Stafford convicted Speeding and sentenced him to one month in jail.
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