By Cam Lucadou-Wells
A serial drug offender found asleep in his car with meth and thousands of dollars of cash outside a primary school has been jailed.
Craig Pout, 45, with a 41-page criminal history, pleaded guilty in the Victorian County Court to trafficking methamphetamine.
Behind the wheel of his BMW, Pout was awoken by police outside Lysterfield Primary School about 4.30am on 6 December 2019, Victorian County Court judge Justin Hannebery said.
Police seized about 217 grams of methylamphetamine of 81 per cent purity, as well as weigh scales, zip lock bags, numerous syringes, two phones and a glass pipe in his car.
During a search of an “erratic“ Pout, police found $9221 in his cargo shorts pocket.
He told police he’d won the money at the pokies.
At the time, police had a whereabouts file on Pout over a stolen vehicle. He’d been twice jailed for drug trafficking earlier that year.
In sentencing on 11 May, Judge Hannebery noted the amount of ice was substantially more than the trafficable quantity of three grams, but short of a commercial quantity of 250 grams.
“It cannot be concluded beyond reasonable doubt that you were aware of the purity and intended to traffic in a commercial quantity.
“I can, however, consider the high purity of the substance in assessing the gravity of the offence, as it provides some guidance as to the relative risk to the community posed by the substance the subject of the charge.”
Pout, who grew up in South Australia and Croydon, Victoria, had a long history of “problematic” use of illicit drugs, Judge Hannebery said.
His criminal record was “indicative of this history of drug abuse”, including drug priors going back as far as March 1996.
Pout had shown progress during his pre-sentence detention, becoming a peer support worker in the Atlas personal-development program in jail, the judge noted.
“Whilst your extensive prior criminal history makes it difficult to be excessively optimistic about your future, your efforts whilst in custody indicate that your situation is by no means hopeless.
“I consider your prospects of rehabilitation to be guarded at best but would improve if you can finally address your drug problems.”
Pout was jailed for up to two-and-a-half-years, including a non-parole period of one year and nine months.
