Camperdown man admits possessing 10 grams of the drug ice

Brett O'Neill, 43, appeared in Warrnambool Magistrates Court on Friday, August 28, remotely from Melbourne Assessment Prison.

He pleaded guilty to possessing methamphetamine, using a carriage service to menace, as well as driving and weapon-related offences.

The court heard on April 19, 2023 O'Neill was the passenger in a Toyota Corolla pulled over by police in Camperdown at 8.30pm.

The man was well-known to police because he had a history of carrying guns.

He was seen trying to hide something and when told he'd be detained for safety reasons, he became aggressive.

Police eventually brought O'Neill to the ground and he was hand cuffed.

The court was told a small bag containing 7.51 grams of the drug ice fell out of his pants.

O'Neill was arrested and placed in the back of the police divisional van, where a further 3.04 grams of meth was found.

The incident followed a police raid at O'Neill's house on March 17, 2023 where officers conducted a firearm prohibition order compliance check.

The man did not come to the front door and was found inside his bedroom.

Police searched the house, found two rounds of .22 ammunition, 1.16 grams of the drug ice, an imitation firearm with the safety cap removed and a cattle prod.

O'Neill also admitted driving an unlicensed motorbike without a helmet on January 16, and threatening to seriously harm a relative who was the executor of his father's will in May, 2022.

The latter offending involved the man making threats to put the victim in intensive care.

A lawyer for O'Neill said the man had served 131 days in pre-sentence detention.

She said the man was a heavy drug user who relapsed in 2021 following a death in the family.

She said at the time of the offending O'Neill had a gram-a-day methamphetamine habit.

The lawyer urged the court to consider a jail term followed by a community-based order involving drug treatment.

But magistrate Gerard Lethbridge said the man had a lengthy criminal history and the only sentence was a straight jail term.

"At the age of 43, I thought you'd be getting sick of this," he said.

O'Neill was jailed for six months.

He was urged to access social supports upon his release from jail.

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