Bail lost amid extra offences

A MAGISTRATE has refused bail to a Leopold man with a $150-a-week ice habit remanded in custody over a string of drugs, firearms and stolen goods offences.
Paul Kingsbury, 25, of Fairvista Ave, appeared without legal representation in the dock at Geelong Magistrates’ Court this week.
A police informant told the court a search this week on Kingsbury’s residence led to his arrest.
Police found goods including power tools and two pee-wee motorcycles believed to be stolen that Kingsbury had “purchased from friends”.
The residence also contained “pieces of firearms” including stocks and barrels as well as two grams of amphetamines and a “smoking implement”.
The court heard that Kingsbury was charged on 24 August and bailed for offences including possessing amphetamines and prohibited weapons.
The day before police had found at Kingsbury’s Fairvista Ave address two rifles with serial numbers ground off, a Holden ute with false South Australian number plates, various chemicals and drug-related items.
“The accused admitted to extracting codeine from Panadol Forte tablets in the garage,” the informant said.
The ute was reported stolen from Colac in April 2012 and Kingsbury claimed to have bought it in May 2012, the court heard.
After evacuating the premises police also found more firearms, a Taser, other weapons and written instructions for extracting codeine from Panadol Forte.
Kingsbury stood in the dock to put forward his submission.
“I have taken into consideration that I have a problem and started to get out of it by running my own business. About a week and a half before this incident I came clean to my family and they are willing to help me,” he said.
Kingsbury had a partner, two children, a mother dying of cancer and a brother who would give him a job at his concreting business until he began operating his own business, he said.
Magistrate Michael Coghlan denied Kingsbury’s request for bail because he had racked up “new offences while on two sets of bail for serious matters”.
“All of that I was told last year,” Mr Coghlan said. “You are at an unacceptable risk of committing further offences. Bail is revoked.”