Bryce Kreutzer: Long Bay prison inmate had phone in cell
An inmate was caught by guards with a mobile phone in his Long Bay cell. However, he has told a court he was only holding it for another prisoner under threat of being stabbed.
Illawarra Star
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An inmate who was found with a phone smuggled into his Long Bay cell claims he was holding onto it for another prisoner under threat of being stabbed.
Despite making full admissions to correctional officers upon its discovery and pleading guilty to a charge of possessing a phone in a detention centre, Bryce Peter Kreutzer, 26, told a Sydney court that it wasn’t really his fault.
“I was told to hold it otherwise I was gonna get stabbed,” the Wollongong man said via videolink from Long Bay prison.
“It wasn’t mine, I just pleaded guilty.”
Waverley Local Court Magistrate Ross Hudson was not impressed.
“Well I’m going off the facts. You pleaded guilty, you said it was yours,” Magistrate Hudson said.
The court heard correctional officers found the small black phone, charger and SIM card hidden in the rubbish bin of Kreutzer’s cell on September 27.
His criminal history, which his lawyer described as “many pages long” includes offences such as assault police, larceny, violence and drug possession, the court was told.
Kreutzer is currently serving a 12 month sentence handed down by the Wollongong District Court for aggravated break and enter.
When Kreutzer’s mobile was discovered, correctional officers placed him in solitary confinement for 18 days.
He was then subject to an additional 42 days with no access to phone calls, no visitors and a ban from taking part in the prison buy up system meaning he could not purchase items such as toiletries or treats.
“So in that sense your honour, he has suffered punishment in relation to this particular offence,” his solicitor told the court.
Magistrate Hudson said he took into account the repercussions already imposed and sentenced Kreutzer to three and a half months in jail to be served partially concurrently.
“You’re in there, you know if tobacco comes in there, drugs go in there, a phone goes in there, there’s a shift in the power, there’s a shift in, ‘I rule the roost’ and it creates chaos,” Magistrate Hudson said.
Kreutzer’s earliest possible parole date is now October 21 – two weeks later than it previously was.