By Ethan Benedicto
Southeast man Lionel Albert was sentenced to a strict community corrections order after serving 27 months in custody.
Albert, 41-year-old, was charged and pled guilty to five drug charges on Friday 14 February, and attended court again on Thursday 20 February, for further plea and sentencing.
Following a police raid at a Langwarrin South property where a clandestine drug lab was found in 2022, alongside 672 grams of drug-related substances, a stolen Porsche 911 coupe and a dismantled shotgun with five cartridges, Albert initially pleaded guilty to five charges.
These charges included trafficking methamphetamine, the possession of precursor chemicals, firearm possession, handling stolen goods – the Porsche – and attempting to pervert the course of justice.
Albert’s CCO will run for two and a half years, with the following mandatory conditions of 100 hours of community service, supervision by Corrections Victoria, compulsory drug treatment and mental health assessment, judicial monitoring hearings every three months and immediate breach consequences.
The latter included the possibility of re-sentencing if Albert were to breach the CCO.
In court, Judge Bayles acknowledged the seriousness of Albert’s offences, his lengthy criminal history, which involved drugs, dishonesty, firearm-related convictions and his previous breaches of multiple CCOs.
However, due to him already serving 826 days in pre-sentence detention, the judge ruled that he was eligible for a supervised release under strict conditions.
The initial argument the prosecution argued for was a full prison sentence with a non-parole period, once more citing Albert’s history and the assessment that he has a high risk of re-offending.
The defence successfully pushed for a combination sentence, arguing in their stead that a structured rehabilitation program under said CCO would be more effective than extended imprisonment.
Jude Bayles said to Albert “I hope you understand the effect of this order and I hope you understand that this is an opportunity that I’m giving you”.
“I’m taking a chance on you and I’ll be bringing this back in three months’ time to monitor your progress,” he said.
He also highlighted that if Albert had not pled guilty and was found so, he would have been sentenced to five years in prison with a non-parole period of three and a half years.
Judge Bayles also ordered the forfeiture of all seized drug paraphernalia, firearms and stolen goods, including the Porsche 911 coupe.
Albert must report to the Dandenong Corrections Office within two working days of release.
His first judicial monitoring hearing is set for 11 June 2025, where the court will assess his progress and compliance with the CCO.
