A blameless life unraveled within the space of 12 months for an Albury man when he became hooked on methamphetamine, a court has heard.
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But almost eight months in custody, bail refused, had led to a turnaround that his solicitor said gave cause for optimism.
Lawyer Mark Cronin said Rick James Collins, 27, had kicked his addiction in Junee jail.
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"It was just a (downwards) spiral since he was exposed to 'ice'," he has told Albury Local Court magistrate Miranda Moody.
Mr Cronin said Collins, a tiler, had now broken his cycle of offending, mostly related to firearms matters.
"He's a man who's done it really tough in custody," he said.
"He's desperate to get out. Before he fell off the wagon ... he was a productive member of society."
Collins was facing a charge of acquiring a prohibited firearm as a prohibited person in contravention of a firearms prohibition order, to which he has now pleaded guilty, when he decided to write to his mother from prison.
In the letter, which Ms Moody outlined during sentencing, Collins told his mother "I don't know why you're saying I had a gun" and said how she "needs to tell them girls to stop talking to the f ... ing cops".
For that he was charged with perverting the course of justice. He pleaded guilty to this charge, too.
Ms Moody was told that a byproduct of Collins no longer using methamphetamine was he had put on 30 kilograms in weight.
"He must have had a raging 'ice' addiction," she said.
" He certainly looks like a healthy man now."
Collins was jailed for 14 months with a non-parole period of eight. He will be released on April 3.
"I can't thank you enough, your honour," Collins said after his sentencing.