Recidivist offender back behind bars after breaching order

HAD already spent much of the past five years in jail, but Warwick man Luke James Weier found himself back behind bars after breaching his suspended jail sentence by reoffending.

The 29-year-old had been sentenced in Toowoomba Supreme Court to five years jail, suspended after having served 20 months, in 2016 on charges of drug trafficking and associated offences, the same court was told yesterday.

He had also been sentenced to four years in jail with a nonHE parole period of two years in New South Wales to where he was extradited after breaching that order.

He was released in November last year and returned to Queensland but less than two months later had breached his Queensland suspended sentence by re-offending and was sentenced in the Warwick Magistrates Court and recommitted to the Toowoomba Supreme Court.

His barrister Frank Martin said his client had applied for release on parole earlier this year and appeared before the Parole Board and he had expected to be released.

However, whatever the term he received from the Toowoomba Supreme Court he would have to re-apply for release on parole which ordinarily took up to three months to process.

Justice Peter Applegarth noted Weier had 15 months left on his suspended term and saw no reason not to activate that time in full.

However, Justice Applegarth ordered he be eligible to apply for release on parole immediately.

“The sooner you get parole the better for you and the community,” Justice Applegarth told him.