Druggie busted after cops find meth at petrol station

A KATHERINE man has walked from court with a suspended sentence after police found a cool 12g “ice” stash hidden in a petrol station ice cream freezer.

Shane Tapp, 39, pleaded guilty to possessing a trafficable quantity of methamphetamine in the Supreme Court in Katherine.

Tapp — who has a long his- tory of drug offending — was busted on August 3 last year after police searched his car when he stopped at a petrol station on Katherine Tce.

During the search of his car, Tapp ducked inside and hid a 12.08g bag of meth in the back of the petrol station’s ice cream freezer, the court heard.

Afterwards police found 1.38g of meth in Tapp’s wallet, as well as the larger quantity he had tried to ditch in the freezer. Chief Justice Michael Grant said Tapp had shown a “flagrant disregard for the law over the last 15 years or so”.

Tapp, who served 58 days behind bars before being granted bail, was in the community on a three year and two month suspended sentence for arson and aggravated assault when he was caught with the drugs.

Chief Justice Grant said Tapp was first introduced to meth as an 18-year-old, when his behaviour “spiralled” into a pattern of offending.

Chief Justice Grant said Tapp had shown “manipulat- ive behaviours and a poor work ethic” during two court ordered rehab stints, where he attracted a “negative clique” of other residents.

But Tapp was on a waiting list for another, voluntary rehab program when he was arrested and Chief Justice Grant said there had been “some change in attitude over the last six months or so”.

He said he was “unfortunately pessimistic” about Tapp’s new-found change in attitude, saying he had “squandered” previous opportunities to get clean from drugs.

Tapp was sentenced to 15 months jail, suspended after time already served, and will be subject to a string of eight conditions for the next 18 months, including bans on taking drugs and drinking.