Victim’s long criminal past revealed
THE man shot dead at a house in suburban Granton had an extensive criminal history relating to stealing motor vehicles and break-ins, which was fuelled by a drug habit, the Mercury can reveal.
Tasmanian Police said Nicholas Aaron Scott, 26, who escaped prison custody while at Royal Hobart Hospital, was shot dead at a property on Black Snake Rd, Granton, about 1.30am on Tuesday.
It is understood Scott was a father of two.
Court documents have revealed Scott served 21 months in jail from January 2020 after pleading guilty to two counts of burglary, one count of aggravated burglary, two counts of stealing, one count of injuring property and one count of carjacking.
On August 2, 2019, Scott was captured on CCTV footage in the University of Tasmania carpark smashing the rear window of a vehicle and stealing a Nike sports bag containing clothing and sports gear.
On August 3, 2019 Scott broke into a vehicle on Fitzroy Pl, Sandy Bay.
Later that same day, Scott smashed the back door at a residence on Molle St, Hobart, and stole a number of items including jewellery, keys, passports, rare coins, medals, badges and silverware.
Scott also caused $61,500 worth of damage to the home while he was inside.
Shortly after, Scott jumped the fence of a property on Fitzroy Place, assaulted a woman and snatched the keys and stole the vehicle.
“He committed these crimes while in the grip of a significant methylamphetamine addiction, and as a result he has little recall of the incident,” a Supreme Court document stated.
“The defendant has an extensive history of offending. He has over 20 convictions for motor vehicle stealing and attempted motor vehicle stealing, two for unlawfully set fire to property, and one for aggravated robbery. He has been sentenced by this court to imprisonment on prior occasions, and has reoffended over a number of years in a relatively consistent way.
“By funding his drug use through dishonesty offending, his record has accumulated.”
Scott was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in jail for the offences and was granted parole on October 27, 2021. “His offending was both under the influence of and motivated by the need to fund his use of illicit substances,” the Parole Board decision stated. “His history of drug use is lengthy and entrenched.” The Tasmania Prison Service said it could not comment on what charges Scott was currently in custody for, as it was part of an ongoing police investigation. “A separate investigation will also be carried out by the
TPS,” a spokeswoman said.