A magistrate has spared a pub manager a conviction on drug charges in response to his contrition and because the scar on his record would jeopardise his livelihood.
When 31-year-old Christopher Paul Tindal lost his job as a duty manager at Aushotel Group’s Orion Hotel in the first COVID pandemic shutdown, early 2020, he began using methamphetamine.
He was later arrested for possession and charged with multiple offences. In 2021 he faced court and was given a two-year suspended prison sentence for supplying the drug.
Facing court again on the remaining charges, being possession of drugs, possessing drug utensils, possessing scales and bags, as well as another two sperate charges of wilful damage and driving unlicensed, Tindal pleaded guilty to all.
The court heard he had been clean of the drug since mid-2020, and lamented some “very poor decisions” when he found himself unemployed, with money and time on his hands.
His lawyer argued a conviction for the charges would make it difficult for him to become a licensee.
Magistrate Rowan Silva said the man appeared to have turned his life around, and noted that the wilful damage was also drug-related, acknowledging there may have been “a significant mental health issue” affecting matters.
Silva fined Tindal $1,500, but no convictions were recorded for the drug charges.
The magistrate did record a conviction on the charge of driving unlicensed, imposing a one-month disqualification.