Drug dealer shot by home invaders in Launceston to be sentenced

The drug dealer gave up is almost $3000 per week drug habit after he was shot, when two balaclava-clad intruders broke into his home.

A DRUG dealer who was shot in the groin during a home invasion in March has pleaded guilty to trafficking methamphetamine and cannabis in the Supreme Court in Launceston.

The court heard members of Northern Drug Investigation Services raided 45-year-old Damien Neil Smart’s former Kings Meadows unit in October last year and found large quantities of methamphetamine, cannabis and Diazepam in various locations around the home.

Three sets of digital scales were found on a table, two smoking devices were found in the laundry and a third smoking device was found.

Smart also pleaded guilty to possession of the smoking devices, the drug MDMA and Diazepam yesterday.

His mobile phone was seized in the raid and a Phone Extraction Report revealed evidence of drug sales to 47 customers.

Dozens of bank transfers to Smart’s bank account were believed to be drug transactions.

Crown prosecutor Peter Sherriff said several text messages evidenced Smart selling drugs while serving community service for previous offences.

MORE FROM COURT:

• Teen who carjacked cabbie believed cops wanted to kill him
• A woman has pleaded guilty to firing one of 35 shots during a 16-hour siege
• Sue Neill-Fraser’s murder appeal likely to proceed in August
• A man who beheaded a pensioner still has no Legal Aid to fund his murder appeal

Defence lawyer Isabelle Patch said Smart only sold drugs to support his own almost $3000 a week drug habit and did not save any of the proceeds.

She said he had been clean and living with his parents who were good influences since he was shot in the groin in March this year in a “significant and traumatic” home invasion.

She said two people wearing balaclavas and armed with guns kicked in his door about 2am on March 11.

Smart was awake and in the kitchen at the time and a physical fight broke out between him and the intruders.

When one of the gunmen looked away, Smart made a grab for his gun and the other gunman shot him in the groin.

Ms Patch said Smart does not remember much of what happened when he was shot, who called triple-0 or how he got to hospital.

She said he has remained “completely abstinent” from methamphetamine since then.

Justice Robert Pearce made an order for Smart to be assessed for home detention, but said that was no indication home detention will be the sentence he imposes.

Smart will be sentenced on August 4.