New virus-driven prisoner transport directive not followed

A prisoner on remand was transported up to Burnie Supreme Court in person today contrary to a directive that they appear via video link due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A JUDGE has questioned why her directive that no Tasmanians on remand be transported to Tasmanian court rooms to appear in person amid the coronavirus crisis was flouted.

Justice Helen Wood was aghast to learn this morning that Keith Michael Kelp, who was due to appear in the Burnie Supreme Court to plead to dangerous driving charges, was in the courtroom rather than appearing via video link.

“I want to know why he is appearing in Burnie rather than via video link from Risdon Prison,” she asked Kelp’s counsel Frank Brinken.

Mr Brinken said there was no capacity to telephone and speak to his client inside Risdon.

Justice Wood said in light of the pandemic other methods of communication needed to be used other than transportation in a van.

”This is contrary to the general directive I made so prisoners are not transported in an enclosed van for nine hours,” Justice Wood said.

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“I understand it is a learning curve but in future request to take instructions from your client over video link before the plea proceeds.”

Kelp then pleaded guilty to a count of dangerous driving, evading police, driving without a licence and displaying false plates.

The court heard that in October last year Kelp was on bail and in a stolen car and high on ice when a special operations police vehicle spotted him on Sheffield Rd near Railton on Tasmania’s northwest coast.

Kelp, who was heavily involved in the drug trade at the time and owed $20,000 in drug debts, initially thought one of his contacts was after him.

Police sirens and lights were then activated but Kelp did not pull over. Road spikes were deployed but Kelp avoided the spikes and sped away.

He crossed white lines into bushland, re-entered the public road and then sped at 120km/h towards Railton. He continued through the town’s 50km/h zone where there were children and families on the side of the road.

Kelp turned into a side road and soon lost control in the gravel careering through a fence into a paddock.

He was arrested and taken into custody.

“These events coincided with the absolute lowest point of my clients life,” Mr Brinken said.

“He had bought a gun and was going to kill himself.”

The gun was in the vehicle at the time of the police chase.

Kelp has been sober since being in custody and the court was told he was remorseful and embarrassed by his actions.

Justice Wood ordered a pre-sentence report be prepared.

Kelp will be sentenced on May 8.