Meth put man ‘off rails’

THE year 2019 certainly hasn’t been kind to James Edward Phillip Webster.

Until this year, the 37-yearold had no criminal history and had always made a positive contribution to the community.

However, a relationship breakdown had sent the father of two into a downward spiral of drug abuse and crime that ultimately had him sitting in a jail cell, his solicitor Amber Acreman told Toowoomba Magistrates Court.

The former manager of a Bundaberg nursery with 50 staff under him, Webster had moved to Toowoomba to be nearer his children and to get away from negative influences in Brisbane, she said.

However, the breakdown of his relationship had left him addicted to meth, homeless and sleeping in parks or couch surfing.

In July, Webster had been sentenced by the Cleveland Magistrates Court to a wholly suspended three-month jail term, placed on 18 months probation and 60 hours community service for a series of drug and property offences, police prosecutor Rowan Brewster-Webb told the court.

He had been taken back into custody in mid-September for a string of offences committed in and around Toowoomba including drug driving, four counts of unlawfully using motor vehicles, service station drive offs while in stolen vehicles, receiving tainted property, stealing and fraud.

Having spent the ensuing 86 days in custody, Webster appeared in court via video link from Woodford Correctional Centre to plead guilty to all charges.

Due to his offending, businesses and individuals were out of pocket to a total of $6500, the court heard.

However, since being in custody he had been able to get clean of drugs, was reconciling with his former partner to the point he could stay with the family upon his release, Ms Acreman told the court.

“His life had sunk to such depths that it has taken a bit to turn the ship around,” she submitted.

Her client was remorseful for his offending, Ms Acreman said.

Magistrate Kay Ryan said it was obvious something had occurred earlier this year to have Webster “going off the rails”.

“Up until earlier this year you were a hardworking good contributor to society,” Ms Ryan told him.

Ms Ryan revoked the probation and community service orders and activated the threemonth suspended sentence in full and sentenced Webster to a term of 12 months imprisonment but, declaring the 86 days pre-sentence custody as time served under the sentence, ordered he be released on parole as of December 5 and make full restitution of $6500.