Move to Melbourne a chance at rehabilitation for Toowoomba man

The 20-year-old had appeared “fidgety” to police doing a walk-though the Withcott Hotel.

He told the court his girlfriend in Melbourne had provided him with a ticket to move south to be with her.

A MELBOURNE-based girlfriend might just be the answer to rehabilitation for a 20-year-old Toowoomba man with drug issues.

Harrison John Auchter-Gould had appeared “fidgety” when asked for ID by police doing a walk-through the Withcott Hotel about 12.15pm, November 23, Toowoomba Magistrates Court heard.

He voluntarily produced 0.05g of crystal substance in a bag which he said was meth, 9g of cannabis and during a pat-down search police found a bag containing a range of tablets for which he had no prescription, police prosecutor Chris Willson told the court.

The 20-year-old had then failed to front court on February 1 but had handed himself into police on February 8 and was taken into custody, Senior Constable Willson said.

He appeared by video link from the watch house to plead guilty to possessing dangerous drugs and failing to appear in court.

Solicitor Matt Gemmell, of Bouchier Kahn Lawyers, said his client had experienced homelessness for some time but a girlfriend in Melbourne had provided him with a ticket to move south with her.

His client instructed that he was a “very anxious person” and so self-medicated with the drugs, he said.

Magistrate Graham Lee fined Auchter-Ground $1400.