Cop left hanging from car window
Brave family impresses judge
FROM a wild crime spree, a second chance emerged for a man whose brave family impressed a judge on Thursday.
As a meth-addled driver in April 2016, Stanthorpe’s Bryan Neil Crisp took off at a random breath test, grabbing a police oficer’s arm.
The officer had to hop along for 10 steps before he was released.
Afterwards Crisp called cops, pretended the car was stolen and denied being the driver.
The ruse didn’t work. Prosecutors said police questioning Crisp, now 30, pointed out they had body worn cameras showing him in the car.
Brisbane District Court heard Crisp insisted the person in the images had a different face.
Police also uncovered evidence of Crisp supplying drugs.
Crisp pleaded guilty on Thursday to charges including drug supply, dangerous driving and attempting to pervert justice.
Defence counsel Bernard Reilly told the court Crisp tried meth in 2013 after a shoulder injury and relationship breakup, and was soon hooked.
Mr Reilly said the drug use catastrophically reacted with an existing intellectual problem, causing “clinical impairment”.
The court heard Crisp made repeated efforts to quit, working closely with groups including the Salvation Army.
His parents came to court, where Judge Katherine McGinness invited them to address her.
The parents said family would commute between Stanthorpe and Brisbane if needed to attend meetings and counselling.
Crisp’s parents said not only had their son changed since 2016, he was now working hard to help others avoid the traps he fell into.
Several people in court were in tears.
“How brave you are to remain supportive of your son through all the times he’s relapsed,” the judge said.
Judge McGinness still had the option of sending Crisp to jail.
“We don’t have the benefit of drug courts in our system in here at present which is a real shame,” she said.
But drugs were readily available in jail, and custody would risk undoing Crisp’s recent “good work”.
So Judge McGinness sentenced Crisp to three years’ jail, but with immediate parole release.