Car snatched from dairy customer, court told
An offender’s bid to settle a drug debt by snatching a car from a customer who parked outside a Sydenham dairy has brought a 17-month jail term.
The prison sentence imposed by Judge Tony Couch adds to 30-year-old David Alan Dooley’s long criminal history.
Judge Couch ruled out converting the sentence to home detention, saying it was not appropriate for the offending on February 21.
Dooley had pleaded guilty to charges of theft of the car, driving while forbidden, dangerous driving, possession of an offensive weapon, possession of a pipe for smoking methamphetamine, and unlawful possession of a prescription medicine.
Defence counsel Elizabeth Bulger said Dooley was now minded to undertake psychological assessment and counselling as part of his rehabilitation.
Once he was released from prison there was usually a period when he would do everything he could to avoid going back.
But something small would usually “trip him up” after a period when he had done well, and this would become something bigger that would put him in custody. He had been in custody for five months since his arrest on the latest charges.
Judge Couch said the incident began in a Sydenham Street, when Dooley saw someone park their car outside a dairy and go inside.
He drove off in the car, while he was forbidden from driving. A woman tried to stop him but drove off anyway, and she then followed him in her car.
Dooley drove through a red traffic light, overtook on the wrong side, and sped up to 100km an hour in a 50km an hour zone.
When the police stopped him he was found with a mallet from the back of the car on the front seat beside him, as well as a methamphetamine pipe, and a prescription medicine that was not his. The car was damaged from being driven over kerbs.
Judge Couch said: “It appears you took the car in order to use it to satisfy a drug debt.”
He said Dooley had a bad record of offending involving property, driving, drugs, and weapons.
He added to his sentence because of his record, but then reduced it for his guilty pleas.
He imposed a jail term of 17 months, with six months of special conditions to follow, and disqualified him from driving for eight months.
Category: Focus
Subscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
Connect
Connect with us via: