A man who breached his bail by riding a motorised scooter into a police checkpoint after curfew has avoided prison for a "sinister series of events" last year.
Court documents stated the defendant’s bail conditions were to not possess or consume controlled drugs and to be in his residence between 7pm and 7am daily.
It was after 8pm when he drove up to the police alcohol testing checkpoint on Queens Dr.
After he was promptly arrested for breaching his bail, police questioned him about a plastic bag in his pocket but he denied its existence.
They momentarily turned their attention away and Roberts took a chance, sprinting away on foot.
However, he was arrested 200m away after a short chase.
Found on him were numerous empty plastic bags and a digital scale. A pipe for smoking the class-A drug methamphetamine was found in a nearby bush where he had thrown it upon his arrest.
In the Dunedin District Court yesterday, counsel Andrew Dawson said his client had really reflected on how his drug addiction had taken his old life away.
Now he was sober, Roberts had recognised how much he had lost, the court heard.
The possession charges arose out of a search warrant carried out at his address on September 19.
Police found a .38 calibre revolver and 50 live rounds of ammunition for it, but Roberts was not a firearms licence holder.
They also located about 40g of class-C drug mephedrone — the basis for the possessing for supply charge — which is often dishonestly portrayed as ecstasy when sold.
Court documents stated the amount found, if sold as ecstasy, was valued at $10,930.
A small amount of meth and various utensils were also found around the house.
Judge Emma Smith acknowledged Roberts was keen to address his "ingrained" drug and alcohol addiction, and was "in desperate need of repair in relation to [it]."
"At the age of 42, he needs to make these decisions now, because he’s either going to come right ... and stay away from this place, or he’s going to relapse and come back here," Mr Dawson said.
Roberts was sentenced to 10 months’ home detention and was to pay $130 court costs.
There was also an order made for the destruction of the drugs, utensils and ammunition found.
