Interstate shift helped drug addict turn his life around
A TASMANIAN man busted behind the wheel with a “cocktail” of five different illicit substances in his system has turned his life around, his lawyer told a court.
Ravenswood man Luke Leo Hodgetts, 33, pleaded guilty in Launceston Magistrates Court on Tuesday to 13 offences.
They included selling and possessing drugs, possessing a knife in a public place, drugdriving, disqualified driving and driving while unlicensed.
On July 31, 2020, Hodgetts was pulled over on Launceston’s Boland St, where he was discovered driving unlicensed, in possession of cannabis and with five different drugs – MDMA, MDA, cannabis, cocaine and methamphetamine – in his system.
On November 9, 2020, he was busted on Farraday St at Ravenswood driving while disqualified by a court order, in possession of cannabis, and with meth and cannabis in his system.
Finally, on January 28 last year, Hodgetts was arrested over an unrelated matter. In his possession were a multipurpose tool with knife, a satchel bag containing cash, a tick sheet, five-zip lock bags containing a total of 9.9g of meth and two zip-lock bags containing a total of 7g of cannabis.
Defence lawyer Mark Doyle told the court his client was a long-term drug addict whose addiction “controlled his criminal behaviours for a long period of time”.
But after Hodgetts’ last arrest, he and his family moved to Queensland so he could beat his addictions. “He recognised … he needed distance from his associates,” Mr Doyle said.
In Queensland, Hodgetts checked himself into a rehab facility for a course he completed. The family returned to Tasmania for Hodgetts to answer the outstanding charges, Mr Doyle said.
“He has been engaged with support services since his return, he wants to be proactive. He’s turned his life around.”
The court heard Hodgetts was working as a gutter cleaner and had started his own side business. Magistrate Ken Stanton disqualified him from driving for 10 months, jailed him for fourth months, wholly suspended for an operational period of 12 months and ordered he pay $457.20 in costs and levies.