A Launceston man who attempted to evade police by scaling backyard fences has been caught with $2,200 worth of drugs stashed inside a Kinder Surprise egg.
Benjamin Joseph Heazlewood, 45, pleaded guilty in the Launceston Magistrates Court to charges of resisting a police officer and possessing a controlled drug, according to The Examiner.
The court heard that officers approached Heazlewood at an address on Morris Street in Summerhill on June 13, 2024, where they witnessed him fleeing from a caravan and jumping over the fence into the neighboring property.
Despite being ordered to stop, Heazlewood continued to jump two more fences before being apprehended.
Police prosecutor Robert Shepherd said Heazlewood resisted arrest by struggling and pulling his arms away to prevent being handcuffed.
A subsequent search revealed a Kinder Surprise egg concealed in his sock, which upon examination at the Launceston police station, was found to contain methylamphetamine.
Heazlewood admitted to police that he purchased the drugs from an unknown dealer for personal use and estimated it would last him around a month.
The court also heard that Heazlewood was found hiding in a roof cavity during a family violence search of a George Town residence on October 31, 2023,.
Magistrate Catherine Geason activated three months and four days of a previously suspended sentence and imposed an additional two months for the drugs and resisting police charges.
Heazlewood was given an earliest release date of December 21, 2024.
The magistrate declared Heazlewood a ‘serial family violence perpetrator’ at high risk of reoffending, noting his history of family violence offences dating back to 2009 involving multiple women.
The declaration under section 29A of the Family Violence Act will remain in place for two years.
