‘A drunken idiot’: Yeppoon hotel worker sent to jail
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A YEPPOON man labelled a "drunken idiot" by a magistrate has been sent to jail.
Robert John Spinks, 43, pleaded guilty in Yeppoon Magistrates Court last Thursday to four charges.
They were obstructing police, public nuisance, contravening a direction, and unlawful possession of cannabis.
The court heard Spinks committed these offences while on a suspended sentence for a previous assault.
The obstruct police offence happened at Yeppoon while the other three charges stemmed from a separate incident at Cairns prior.
On April 15 at Yeppoon, police attended Spinks' residence in relation to an outstanding warrant.
Spinks was in no mood to co-operate.
He yelled at police officers: "Get the f--k out of my brother's property."
When the officers told him that he was under arrest, Spinks replied: "Get the f--k out of the house, now."
The officers had to restrain Spinks using handcuffs and he was taken to the Yeppoon Police Station.
Spinks' lawyer said Spinks was a man who had struggled to cope with the deaths of his father and grandfather in a short space of time.
He was working two jobs, at a hotel and a bottle shop, and was in the process of trying to get the qualifications to join the Coast Guard.
Magistrate Jason Schubert noted Spinks had a four-page criminal history and was on a three-month suspended sentence at the time of committing these offences.
"Your offending shows a lack of respect for authority," Mr Schubert said.
"It's not a one-off, it's happened several times.
"I note you've had the benefit of immediate parole before, and still you're back before the court offending again.
"So I need a penalty that deters you and protects the community from people behaving like a drunken idiot, as you have on these occasions."
Magistrate Schubert sentenced Spinks to three months' jail with a parole release date of November 7.
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