Bradley Jetson: Launceston crim throws mate under bus twice

A Tasmanian crim who was smoking several points of ice daily did the dirty on his friend twice amid a crime spree which saw him busted with a stolen, sawn off shotgun among other offences.

A Tasmanian criminal busted with a stolen, sawn-off shotgun among dozens of other offences threw his mate under the bus twice by giving Tasmania Police officers his friend’s name in an attempt to dodge charges of unlicensed drug-driving.

Prospect man Bradley James Jetson, 33, previously pleaded guilty to 37 offences, with Launceston Magistrate Sharon Cure hearing the facts on Tuesday.

Among Jetson’s offending, he was busted driving unlicensed on July 30 last year while in possession of ice, drug paraphernalia, a stolen, sawn-off .410 gauge shotgun, ammunition, a laser pointer and an extendible baton, while ice, speed and cannabis was present in his system.

On April 20, 2020 while driving unlicensed at Newnham, Jetson returned a positive saliva test for ice, speed and cannabis, and gave the name of his friend, with a summons subsequently sent by post to his innocent mate.

Prospect man Bradley James Jetson, 33. Picture: Facebook

Jetson gave the name of that same friend later that year on October 1, when he again returned a positive saliva sample for ice, speed and cannabis while driving unlicensed.

However, Jetson was forced to come clean to Tasmania Police when they told him he was under arrest as he was in breach of (his friend’s) curfew.

Jetson had not held a license since 2018, the court heard, and some of his offending was in breach of a partially suspended Supreme Court sentence.

It was submitted on Jetson’s behalf the reason he had a shotgun in his car was for self defence as he had been shot in the knee in late-2020 in what Jetson believed was a contract job.

Since his last offending, Jetson had turned his life around, the court was told.

He no longer consumed ice – he was smoking up to several points a day for five to six years – and was living with his sister.

His partner is also pregnant with Jetson’s third child and Jetson “feels a strong responsibility towards the child”.

Ms Cure warned Jetson he was at risk of going to jail.

She deferred her sentence for four months for Jetson to “demonstrate to this court you’re not going to drive, not going to use drugs and not going to carry weapons”.

There also remained the live possibility the Director of Public Prosecutions would breach Jetson on his suspended sentence, the court heard.

He will return to the Launceston Magistrates Court on September 14.

Originally published as Bradley Jetson: Launceston crim throws mate under bus twice