In March last year, Oliver William Clark was found guilty of the charge of evading police, but COVID-related travel restrictions left him stranded in NSW unable to be sentenced.

READ MORE: Michael Mansell calls on Crown Lands Maps to withdraw published maps

Standing before Magistrate Ken Stanton on Thursday, Clark was sentenced for the evade charge, as well as an extensive list of suspended sentence breaches - which could have landed him in prison.

In April 2020, Clark was apprehended by police after they saw him riding a stolen motorbike in East Launceston.

Police followed the motorbike along High Street, Ann Street, Abbott Street, Claremont Street, Elphin Road and Cypress Street before discovering a stolen motorcycle lying beside the road.

Shortly after, police found Clark trying to climb the gate into the Newstead College and called for him to stop.

Last year, he was found guilty of several charges relating to the night - including evading police for which he was finally given a three-month suspended sentence on Thursday.

READ MORE: Increased pay for GPs will stem rural health crisis, Ochre Health head says

It wasn't over for Clark, however, who was also before the court on four charges of falsely obtaining goods. The court heard that Clark had four times acquired a motorbike by showing the sellers fake money transfer documents displaying payments that would have amounted to $22,700. The court also heard that in 2016, Clark hired a car valued at $20,000 from a rental company under a false name and never returned it.

These charges, along with breached bail charges, may have led to Clark facing prison time - a fact noted by Mr Stanton in his decision.

Nevertheless, given Clark's lack of offending in the last two years and his apparent lack of drug activity - which had contributed to several charges before the court - Mr Stanton determined that a home detention order would be appropriate.

READ MORE: Peak advocacy bodies have urged the federal government to invest in long-term dental funding for the elderly and regional areas

For the remaining charges, Clark was sentenced to a 12-month home detention order, during which he must reside at one of two addresses unless legally allowed to leave or travel between them.

The second address was listed to allow Clark to continue caring for an elderly relative. As various charges related to driving while disqualified, Clark also walked out of the court with a further three years and three months of disqualifications on his licence.

Before making his judgement, Mr Stanton said - had a home detention order not been available - imprisonment would have been likely. He went on to note that placing Clark in custody may have put his ongoing drug rehabilitation at risk.

Why not have your say? Write a letter to the editor here:

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: