Jack Whithead, 22, pleaded guilty to seven offences including robbery with violence and unlawful use of a motor vehicle in the Brisbane District Court on Wednesday. The court heard Whitehead was involved in a violent road rage incident in Brisbane’s south, where he attacked a man he did not know.Whitehead had been the passenger in a stolen silver Ford Falcon, which cut off another car on a road in Annerley on 15 September last year. Crown prosecutor Ron Swannick said Whitehead approached the car “aggressively” and punched the victim in the head through the car window. He also demanded he hand over his phone, wallet and car keys before fleeing the scene in the stolen car.Mr Swannick said the incident was “bizarre” but had left the victim with emotional and minor physical injuries. “The victim has suffered what appears to be serious psychological after-effects in regards to public safety,” he said.About two weeks earlier, the court heard Whitehead had thrown a fire extinguisher into a pool from the balcony of Abbey Apartments in Roma St, Brisbane, nearby Queensland Police headquarters. Whitehead had spent 149 days in pre-sentence custody.Defence barrister Jann Taylor argued Whitehead should be sentenced to 20 months in prison and released immediately on parole, given his age and the “fairly recent onset” of his drug use. “It’s a very fast result of a methamphetamine use,” Ms Taylor said.“His remorse is real, his prospects of rehabilitation in my submission is also real.”The court heard Whitehead had moved from the United Kingdom to Australia with his family in 2009 and completed year 10 at Wellington Point High School before taking on a painting apprenticeship. Ms Taylor said “the wheels fell off” Whitehead’s life in January 2020 when he lost his girlfriend, job, accommodation and subsequently started using drugs.Judge Michael Byrne QC said Whitehead had been involved in a spate of offences between May and October 2020 as he fell into the “addictive qualities” of meth. He had previously been sentenced to 18-months probation and 100 hours of community service for other crimes. “The reality is that you have taken very much a poor turn on the path of life and decided to get involved in meth,” judge Byrne said.“It is a horrendous drug, it ruins lives. “You had a reason for it, that’s no excuse for it.”He was sentenced to two years in prison with immediate release on parole. He is required to make regular reports to police and submit regular drug tests.



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