A 21-year-old Ravenswood man whose lawyer submitted that he would be in and out of jail for the rest of his life unless he received therapeutic assistance walked free from court on a drug treatment order.
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Jordan Thomas Riley, 21, pleaded guilty last week to a count of carjacking on November 28, 2022.
Defence lawyer Hannah Phillips asked acting Justice David Porter that Riley be assessed for a drug treatment order which would provide treatment and also enable him to stay out of jail if stayed off drugs and committed no crime.
She said he was "wanting to change or this [intermittent jail] would be his reality forever".
Ms Phillips said Riley had spent a considerable period of his adolescent and his adult life in prison and conceded that he had a serious criminal history.
The court heard the facts of the carjacking in which Angus McSeadon drove his mother's Subaru Liberty to a home in Pioneer Parade with the intention of swapping a motorcycle.
At the address it was decided the motorcycle transaction would not proceed and Mr McSeadon was about to leave when approached by the accused and a female.
Mr McSeadon had a passenger who identified Mr Riley.
"The accused said it was a nice car and it would burn well," a prosecutor said.
Riley pulled up his jacket and gestured as if hiding a firearm.
He said: "Do you want to get f***ing shot."
Mr McSeadon's passenger got out of the car and retrieved Mr McSeadon's dog.
Riley drove away in the Subaru causing Mr McSeadon to panic and start vomiting.
The unlicensed Riley drove towards Waverley where the car was seen about 8.30pm at the Sunny Hills Hotel in Ravenswood.
At 8.50pm he drove to the BP service station in Wellington street and filled the car with petrol and drove off without paying.
The car was located on December 14 in Ravenswood and he was arrested.
Prosecution did not assert that Riley had a firearm at the time of the carjacking.
The court heard that Riley had recently served a ten month sentence which finished on November 21, 2023.
She said it was one of Riley's more serious charges in a long record which included assault, armed robbery and aggravated assault.
Acting Justice Porter acceded to the request and sentenced Riley to a drug treatment order with a custodial component of 18 months which may be served if he fails to fulfil conditions of the order.
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.
