A Campbell Town man who escaped seven months jail when he was placed on a drug treatment order in April is facing cancellation of the order after just two months.
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Phillip James Standage, 34, has pleaded guilty to motor vehicle stealing, driving while disqualified and an aggravated evasion of police on May 28. He was taken into custody on May 29.
Officers from the Court Mandated Drug Diversion program recommended against Standage being placed on the drug treatment order in April, 2022. He had previously failed on a similar order.
In making a decision to allow Standage to participate, Magistrate Sharon Cure urged Standage to try and prove that the assessment by the officers was wrong.
She said the order was made to try and break the cycle between drug use and offending.
"If you don't break the cycle you will be incarcerated and released and a danger to the community," Ms Cure said.
However, on Tuesday Ms Cure said: "I think he is in a fair bit of trouble in relation to the order" as she considered a Tasmania Police application to cancel the order.
The court heard that cancellation could result from supervision being unlikely to achieve its purposes or because of offending while on the order.
On one complaint there were 22 charges including trespass, seven counts of stealing, three counts of destroy property, a count of burglary, three counts of aggravated burglary, a count of drive while disqualified and three counts of computer-related fraud
Defence counsel Fran McCracken said that a proposal on pleas to the charges had been sent to police.
She pleaded not guilty on behalf of Standage to a count of selling a controlled plant or its products.
She said the new complaints came after he was taken into custody.
"We accept that there is new offending," she said.
Before receiving the order Standage pleaded guilty to a spate of crimes committed over the Christmas period last year including negligent driving, two counts of drive while disqualified, use a controlled drug, motor vehicle stealing, possession of stolen property and drug driving.
He was high on ice when he drove onto the incorrect side of the Midland Highway and crashed into an oncoming vehicle.
The court heard Standage was heading south in a black Ford Courier at 12.25pm on December 24.
A disqualified driver, he had used ice at 10am and was driving to Campbell Town to see his girlfriend.
"He was driving erratically and veering onto the wrong side of the Midland Highway when he collided with a VW Amarok travelling in the opposite direction near Epping Forest," a prosecutor said. Both vehicles were travelling at 110km/h.
Early on December 24 Standage travelled with an associate to Burnie. He was in a stolen car which had $1100 worth of stolen tools in the back. He was involved in a road rage incident which police attended.
The crimes breached the terms of Standage's parole upon which he was released on October 24, 2021.
Under the terms of the drug treatment order terms Standage was required not to commit any offences and must provide his diversion officer with a list of the names of people who he thinks he should not associate with. He would also receive pharmacotherapy.
Standage was sentenced in 2018 to three years and three months jail for dangerous driving-a crime described by Justice Robert Pearce as a "frightening pursuit around the streets of Launceston".
Other charges included motor vehicle stealing, resist police, unlawfully injuring property, assault a police officer, drive whilst disqualified, burglary and stealing.
In February 2021 he was also jailed for seven months for further driving offences.
Ms Cure adjourned the case for a decision on July 14 at 11.30am.
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Nick Clark
I am the Supreme and Magistrates Court reporter for the Examiner for the past 18 months. My journalism career has clicked over 30 years and encompasses four different spells at Tasmanian newspapers.
I am the Supreme and Magistrates Court reporter for the Examiner for the past 18 months. My journalism career has clicked over 30 years and encompasses four different spells at Tasmanian newspapers.
