Damir Hasanovic has sentence appeal upheld for Long Bay jail smuggling
A soon-to-be father who was caught trying to smuggle 12g of tobacco inside balloons into Long Bay Correctional Centre has appealed his sentence in the district court.
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A soon-to-be father has been released from jail after successfully appealing his prison sentence for trying to smuggle tobacco into Long Bay Correctional Centre.
Damir Hasanovic, 23, from Regents Park, was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 10 months at Waverley Local Court on August 28 after being caught trying to smuggle 12g of tobacco inside balloons into the Malabar prison during a visit in June.
The magistrate labelled tobacco “the currency of jail” while handing down his punishment.
Mr Hasanovic was visibly shocked by the decision and hugged his pregnant partner before being taken into custody.
However, Mr Hasanovic appealed his sentence and Judge Helen Syme upheld his appeal at Downing Centre District Court on Tuesday.
Judge Syme quashed the sentence of the local court and re-sentenced him to a term of imprisonment of six months to be served by way of intensive correction in the community.
He was also ordered to complete three months of home detention, starting today, and given a non-association order for 18 months to not contact a list of “bad friends” who had a negative influence on him.
Up until 2015, inmates could still smoke cigarettes in prisons in NSW but that has since been scrapped with no smoking allowed, including for staff and visitors.
During Mr Hasanovic’s initial sentence in August, Magistrate Greg Grogin said that Mr Hasanovic knew full well the value of tobacco which was “the currency of jail”.
“He has spent time in custody before he knows the value of tobacco in prison,” Mr Grogin said.
Mr Hasanovic was arrested and charged with unlawfully bring anything into place of detention after visiting Long Bay Correctional Centre on June 7.
He tried to hand over 12g of tobacco which had been stuffed into small balloons to his friend, who was an inmate at the prison.
However, security spotted the exchange when the inmate unsuccessfully tried to swallow the balloons.
Mr Hasanovic has a lengthy criminal history including a term of imprisonment in 2014 for robbery.
His heavily pregnant partner was supporting him in court on Tuesday.
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