A West Launceston man who bought thousands of dollars worth of drugs just six months before finishing parole for manslaughter was intending to build a handyman business.
David Jonathon Holmyard, 32, on Friday pleaded guilty in front of acting Justice David Porter in the Launceston Supreme Court to charges of drug trafficking and having almost $20,000 worth of proceeds of crime.
The court heard Holmyard's West Launceston house was raided on May 3 by Tasmania Police where they found 48.1 grams of methylamphetamine worth about $28,000, 1.1 grams of cocaine, $19,925 and a .22 caliber pistol.
When police busted down the door to his home and made their way to his basement they found Holmyard in nothing but his underwear.
Holmyard had 16 months prior been paroled after being sentenced in 2016 to six-years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter.
The crime involved Holmyard hitting and killing a woman while driving under the influence of drugs.
It occurred when his blue Ford XR6 collided with the Nissan Navara of a 54-year-old woman on Evandale Road at Western Junction.
During that incident then 25-year-old Holmyard sped away from police at Evandale clocking in at 109km/h in an 80km/h zone and drove on the wrong side of the road for about 175 metres.
Holmyard's sedan, which by then was travelling 170km/h, became airborne for 21 metres before landing 64 metres away from Maureen Ann Flanagan's Nissan. His sedan then collected Mrs Flanagan's car, which was metres away from her driveway, killing her instantly.
He had alcohol, cannabis and methylamphetamine in his system at the time.
Holmyard's parole decision from November 8, 2019, five years after the crash which killed Mrs Flanagan, said: "[Holmyard] wishes to pursue a lifestyle free of the criminal justice system specifically as a 'family man'".
The court on Friday heard Holmyard had earlier in his life been a baker in Launceston, but on his release from prison took up employment cutting firewood.
It heard Holmyard wanted to set up a gardening and home maintenance business and "part of the plan" was to purchase meth to sell so he could buy a car in order to run the business.
"[It was a] one-off opportunity to set himself up for the future," his defence counsel told the court.
Holmyard was immediately taken into custody on the day his house was raided and had remained in prison since. His parole was also revoked at that time.
Acting Justice Porter remanded Holmyard in prison as he "considered the appropriate sentence". Holmyard was expected to be sentenced on November 29.
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