Judge hands out a second suspended sentence for 19-year-old

Georgia May Smith, 19, of Invermay, pleaded guilty to a count of attempted aggravated carjacking in January, 2020.

In August last year Smith was handed a six-month suspended jail sentence after pleading guilty to stealing and an aggravated armed robbery in April 2020.

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In handing down the sentence Justice Michael Brett gave a stern warning about ice (methylamphetamine).

"Your problem is unfortunately common among young people and that is the taking and addiction to methylamphetamine," Justice Brett said.

"You should do everything you can to stay away from that drug. Because I can assure you that the only consequence will be pain and destruction of your life.

"In some ways, you are lucky in that you have only been involved with drugs for a year. Things will get much worse if you continue using methylamphetamine."

The carjacking breached Justice Brett's suspended sentence and was activated by Justice Robert Pearce allowing for release on June 11, 2021.

Justice Pearce said Smith's offending was substantially driven by an addiction to methylamphetamine.

"You were warned but you did not take it seriously enough," he said.

She was sentenced by a magistrate to 14 days jail in February, 2021 for five stealing offences in the last quarter of 2020.

He said that the carjacking occurred when two men were invited to an address in Invermay.

When they arrived Smith attempted to grab the car keys and struggled with the driver for three minutes.

A co-accused female punched the man in the back and shoulders and a co-accused man hit him with a pole.

The assaulted man ran from the car and Smith encouraged the others to get him.

Justice Pearce said the crime was serious although she was not successful in stealing the car.

He said Smith had a good upbringing but her life had become chaotic because of drugs.

"Methylamphetamine is something you must deal with urgently," he said.

"It is up to you to take advantage of the chance I am about to give you."

He sentenced her to five months jail wholly suspended on the condition that she commit no imprisonable offence for 18 months.

He ordered that she be subject to the supervision of an officer from the Department of Community Corrections and special conditions that she be assessed and treated for drug dependency and be tested for drug use.

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