Southern Tasmanian man jailed for crimes committed in front of children

A Tasmanian man has been jailed for drug trafficking and assaulting a police officer — crimes that were committed in front of two young children.

A SOUTHERN Tasmanian man who conducted a drug deal in front of two children then pinned a police officer between two vehicles before driving off has been jailed.

Brendan David Cranston, 35, pleaded guilty to trafficking in the drug ice, assaulting a police officer, two counts of dealing with the proceeds of crime, evading police and related charges.

Sentencing Cranston in the Supreme Court in Hobart this week, Justice Michael Brett said two police officers saw Cranston selling drugs out of his parked car on October 3, 2017.

The court heard one of the officers approached Cranston and asked to see his hands, but Cranston refused and drove towards the police officer, pinning him against the police vehicle.

“He yelled at you to stop, and informed you that you had hit him, but you continued to accelerate,” Justice Brett said.

He said the officer was only released when his partner moved the police vehicle.

“Your sole purpose was to escape apprehension and you drove your vehicle without any regard to the officer’s safety or welfare,” Justice Brett said.

“You did not reverse your vehicle when you realised he was trapped, and after he was released you drove off without any thought for his welfare.”

The court heard the officer received a muscular injury and continues to experience hip pain as a result of the injury.

The prosecution described Cranston’s drug trafficking operation as a “mid-level street selling operation”.

Justice Brett said police conducted a number of searches after Cranston was apprehended, finding up to $14,700 worth of ice in three different locations.

He said Cranston had expressed remorse and a desire to rehabilitate, but he said there were “a number of very concerning aspects” of his criminal conduct.

“You committed these crimes in a relatively short time after release from prison and while serving a suspended sentence for similar conduct,” he said.

“A matter of real concern is that you were carrying out the drug sale, and then committed the other offences … with two young children in the car.”

He said the children, aged nine and five, were old enough to see and hear what was happening.

“This aspect of the offending deserves severe condemnation,” Justice Brett said.

The court heard Cranston had prior convictions for drug offences, and was released from jail in early 2017 after serving a sentence for a similar trafficking crime.

Justice Brett sentenced Cranston to two years and eight months jail, with a non-parole period of 16 months.