“Thickheaded” man slammed by a Magistrate for failing to pay fines or complete community service
A man has been slammed by a magistrate as thickheaded for failing to pay $6000 in fines and complete 80 hours of community service.
Townsville
Don't miss out on the headlines from Townsville. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A man who failed to pay $6000 in traffic fines has been slammed by a magistrate as thickheaded.
Dallon Wyhatt Thaler was arrested on May 1 after police intercepted a car he was travelling in and smelt a strong odour of cannabis.
The Townsville Magistrates Court heard Thaler was on probation for stealing bikes in 2018 and had failed to commence an 80-hour community service order.
Thaler had also failed to pay $6148 in traffic fines.
Police prosecutor Tim Madsen told the court Thaler evaded a cab fare on July 4, 2019 and had a “consistent approach” for not appearing for previous court sentences.
The 22-year-old tried to plead his case in the dock to Magistrate Ross Mack but was told to “sit down and be quiet”.
Thaler pleaded guilty to contravention of a community service order, three counts of failure to appear, possessing dangerous drugs and evade fare.
Defence lawyer Morgan Whelan told the court her client suffered from anxiety and cannabis helped “to calm him down”.
Mr Mack did not sympathise with Thaler, saying he suspected he had anxiety due to his cannabis use and he “had dug himself a hole”.
“You know you are looking at jail because you don’t pay your fines and you don’t do your community service,” he said. “You are too thickheaded at the moment to get on with your life.”
Thaler cried in the dock as Mr Mack spared him a jail term, instead ordering him to complete 120 hours of community service.
Mr Mack adjourned the case to September 2 so Thaler could prove to the court he was trustworthy.
“When you come back in September, I am going to be able to see if you have paid the fines and if you are doing any community service and if you don’t, I will just send you to jail,” he said.
Thaler looked up to the ceiling and mouthed “thank you” and said out loud to the court: “I’m gonna smarten up.”
Originally published as “Thickheaded” man slammed by a Magistrate for failing to pay fines or complete community service