A Kings Meadows man used false identification to board a plane to Melbourne the day before his home was targeted in a violent home invasion.
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Jacob Adam Williams, 28, pleaded guilty in the Launceston Magistrates Court on Tuesday to one count of using false identification information at a constitutional airport.
A jury last week found Williams not guilty in relation to the shooting of a man in Kings Meadows on January 11. His mobile phone was found discarded on a roadside as part of that investigation.
The phone contained travel documents and return Jetstar boarding passes under the name "David West". Investigations, including CCTV footage, revealed Williams had boarded a plane at Launceston Airport on January 8 using this false identification.
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On January 9, after Williams had completed the flight, two masked men stormed his house and attacked his partner and a young child.
Williams then used his real name at Tullamarine Airport to obtain an immediate return to Launceston.
When interviewed by police, Williams refused to give a reason for initially using a false name to board a plane - an offence he was also convicted of in 2015. Defence counsel Evan Hughes could not provide a reason, but said Williams had travelled to the mainland to visit his child.
Commonwealth prosecutor David Sikk said boarding a plane using false identification was a serious offence.
"It is not trivial, it is important that aircraft and airport security is not compromised," he said.
Williams spent nine-and-a-half months in custody following his arrest on January 16 in relation to the shooting.
Mr Hughes argued that this could be considered time-served given the offending was discovered as part of the shooting investigation, and could be seen as related - a suggestion rejected by the court.
Mr Hughes said Williams had already suffered the "misfortune" of spending an extended time in prison for an offence he was ultimately acquitted of.
Magistrate Simon Brown said it was a "matter of some seriousness".
"The efficacy of security matters at airports must be protected," he said.
"People simply cannot go about flying under false names without punishment.
"You plainly did this knowing you should not do so, but did it anyway."
Williams was convicted and fined $2500 plus $86 in court costs.