A 22-year-old man was sentenced in Mudgee Local Court on Wednesday for multiple drug offences, including supply, as well as carrying a 'push dagger' - all stemming from three interactions with police.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Brendon James Yeo of Denison Street, Mudgee, was placed on a two-year Intensive Corrections Order with conditions that he abstain from drugs and undertake rehabilitation, as well as complete 80 hours community service.
He was also disqualified from driving for six months, having also tested positive to methamphetamine and cannabis each of the three occasions he was stopped by police.
At about 11.15pm on Friday, May 17, 2019, Yeo was stopped for random breath and drug testing on Gladstone Street, Mudgee, and was taken to the police station after submitting the oral fluid test. While he was searched officers noticed that he was trying to conceal something within his clothes, before he dropped the object - a resealable bag containing 0.7g of methamphetamine - onto the ground.
At about midnight on Friday, May 31, 2019, police saw Yeo riding a motorbike across the intersection of Douro and Mortimer streets, then followed and stopped him. Unsatisfied with his explanation as to why he was out-and-about at the time, officers searched him and noticed that he was trying to hide a leather pouch - which contained two packages of methamphetamine (1g and 2.2g) and a glass pipe.
At about 7pm on Friday, July 12, 2019, Yeo was stopped at a random breath and drug testing site on Church Street near the intersection with Meares Street, when police noticed his nervous behaviour and decided to search him. He handed over a 'push dagger' and cannabis, which was divided into three packages.
Officers formed the opinion that he was selling drugs and while he was under arrest they searched his phone, which contained a 'tick list' of customers in the Notes app and a number of text and Facebook messages about 'smoke'. Yeo was also in possession of a woman's ATM card that he admitted he was holding as 'collateral' until he was paid money owed.
Magistrate David Day didn't accept the defendant's explanation that the dagger was used to start his motorbike. And said, "it's a push dagger, a prohibited and very dangerous concealed weapon - commonly used by drug dealers".
However, in noting that Yeo was "walking around with a tick list on his phone", his honour deduced that "his skills as a drug dealer are extremely limited". He also said the 22-year-old's own drug use was a significant factor in his offending, commenting "he just can't help himself" upon reading that he'd smoked cannabis prior to an appointment to prepare pre-sentencing material.