A Gulgong man who said a stint in custody while refused bail "put the fear of God into me", was given the opportunity to mend his ways after he was sentenced in Mudgee Local Court on Wednesday.
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Lindsay John Gorrie, of Mayne Street, Gulgong, was placed on Community Corrections and Intensive Corrections orders, with a condition that abstain from drugs, for two years.
The 28-year-old was charged with property damage and contravening an Apprehended Domestic Violence Order (ADVO) after an incident on July 8, 2019. A condition of the order was that he not go to the home of the Person In Need of Protection (PINOP), which he did on that date and damaged the door upon leaving by slamming it.
Police attempted to speak with him about the incident on July 14, when they spotted him in Belmore Street. Gorrie told officers "I'm not getting locked up, I'm going" and walked away.
He was told this was resisting arrest, but he kept walking before running away, for this he was subsequently charged with obstructing police.
Gorrie was also charged with domestic assault on the evening of April 18. At the time he was driving along the Cope Road while arguing with the victim.
She exited the vehicle when they stopped on the outskirts of Gulgong, he also got out and grabbed her in a "bear-hug" and fell to the road, this came to the attention of passers-by who called the police.
The incidents put Gorrie in breach of a Community Corrections Order he'd been sentenced to in Mudgee Local Court on June 5, for a separate charge of breaching an ADVO - involving different PINOPs - and intimidation, relating to an incident in May.
His fall from grace has been sudden, reflecting his drug use, it's very sad.
- Magistrate David Day
The defendant appeared via Audio Visual Link, having been refused bail since turning himself into Gulgong Police Station on July 15.
His legal-aid solicitor, Jessica Meech, told the court that her client had said, "being in custody has put the fear of God into me". And that his record shows that his criminal history begins with drug use following an injury that lead to him losing his previous employment.
To which, Magistrate David Day concurred.
"I note that when Mr Gorrie has the opportunity to stay clean, such as when he was working at the mines, he stays clean. When he has the opportunity to take drugs he takes drugs," he said.
"His fall from grace has been sudden, reflecting his drug use, it's very sad."
