A sex offender is back in jail after he was caught breaching a Supreme Court-imposed supervision order for the second time in six months.
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Colin James Ambrym fronted Wagga Local Court this week and pleaded guilty after a drug test returned a positive result for methamphetamine.
The 36-year-old was last year placed on a three-year extended supervision order after serving time for the aggravated sexual assault of a teenage girl in 2014 and a separate offence of committing an act of indecency while on parole in 2018.
It included conditions that Ambrym not possess or use illegal drugs, and that he submit to drug and alcohol testing as directed by his Corrective Services NSW departmental supervising officer.
This week, police facts tendered to the court said Ambrym was subjected to a drug test when community corrections officers visited his Wagga address on January 27. The result showed the presence of methamphetamine.
On Monday, his solicitor said Ambrym had been drinking and using drugs from a young age and due to the serious nature of the charges he has been convicted he could not access a majority of rehabilitation providers.
And this, coupled with the lack of personal resources, means he is ill-equipped to tackle his addiction.
Concerning this breach, Ambrym's solicitor argued it was a mid-range offence as there had been no other consequences to his actions. They added it resulted from his father dying while Ambrym was in custody, and he had been a "big supporter".
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The solicitor asked Magistrate Christopher Halburd to consider a short fixed jail term and the Aboriginal Legal Service would work to find rehabilitation options.
On Monday, Magistrate Halburd said Ambrym was entitled to the full discount for his early guilty plea, did not have access to resources to tackle his addiction, and that he had suffered the loss of his father. But, added his criminal record did not entitle him to any leniency.
"The problem is that all the material that is before the Supreme Court indicated that the consumption of methamphetamine especially combined with alcohol increased his prospects of reoffending in an opportunistic way," Magistrate Halburd said.
"A short fixed term was what was imposed when the defendant was dealt with in the second half of last year for the same offence. He needs to be specifically deterred."
Magistrate Halburd sentenced Ambrym to 13 months in jail, backdated to commence on February 2, with a seven-month non-parole period. He is eligible to be released on September 1.