A Wangaratta man battling drug addiction was caught twice attempting to find ways to drive despite being unlicenced, a court has heard. The 43-year-old appeared at Wangaratta Magistrates’ Court pleading guilty to drug and weapon possession and unlicenced driving. The court heard the man drove a new Holden Omega sedan bearing homemade number plates to Tangambalanga on 13 November last year while unlicenced. Police questioned the man about the vehicle and its unregistered plates at a Tangambalanga address, before finding 140g of cannabis, a black metal baseball bat and eight ziplock bags of meth and ecstasy inside. The accused was arrested and taken to Wodonga police station. On 19 March this year around 4pm police observed the same unlicenced driver speeding a black E-bike through King George V Gardens in Wangaratta. Officers followed the bike which continued speeding on the footpath of Rowan Street and then Baker Street, where he was intercepted. The court heard the defendant didn’t know he needed a licence to ride an e-bike and he had his bike impounded. Defence counsel Geoff Clancy said while his client had been eligible to apply for a licence for some time after losing it for drug driving, the 43-year-old felt his drug history would not convince a magistrate. “Drugs have not been a friend to this man for a very long time,” he said. Mr Clancy said his client “joined a long list” of people who didn’t know they needed to be licenced to ride an e-bike and he couldn’t afford to get his bike back. “I think the impound cost was more than the bike itself,” he said. Police prosecutor Leading Senior Constable Stuart Pritchard said the presence of a baseball bat with drugs inside the vehicle concerned police. Magistrate Olivia Trumble imposed a $700 fine with conviction and ordered forfeiture of the weapon, drugs and homemade number plates. “The reality is if this keeps happening, you’ll find yourself in custody again,” she said.
