STATE OF TASMANIA v ANTHONY FRANSIS HANNAN 11 MAY 2023
COMMENTS ON PASSING SENTENCE JAGO J
Mr Hannan you have pleaded guilty to one count of unlawfully injuring property. On 2 August 2021 you and three others were drinking together at a residence in Queenstown. An argument developed. There is a dispute about the subject matter of that argument. I consider it unnecessary to determine the subject of the dispute for sentencing purposes. It is sufficient to say that you became angry with one of the other persons and left the residence. You went to the home of Mr Kas, one of the people with whom you had been drinking, and gained access to the home by smashing a kitchen window. You then flipped over a small glass table causing it to smash. The table was valued at $20.00. The cost to repair the window was $108.83. I make a compensation order in favour of Homes Tasmania in the sum of $108.83 and a compensation order in favour of Trevor Kas in the sum of $20.00.
You went back to the residence where you had been drinking with the others and told Mr Kas what you had done. Police were called.
You pleaded guilty to this charge whilst it was in the Magistrates Court. You were committed to this jurisdiction because you were also charged with several other indictable matters. You have since been discharged in respect to those matters, but it is expedient to deal with your plea of guilty to the charge of unlawfully injuring property in this Court.
You are 35 years of age. I am told that around the time of the argument you were commonly consuming large amounts of alcohol. You have now moved out of Queenstown and are living in Launceston. You have changed your drinking habits. You are now seeking work. You no longer associate with Mr Kas and there have been no ongoing difficulties. You have some relevant prior convictions. In 2014 you were convicted and fined in respect to one count of destroy property. On 8 February 2021, so shortly before this crime was committed, you were also convicted and fined in respect to a charge of destroy property together with some other matters. You also have prior convictions for driving offences, common assault and Misuse of Drugs Use Act matters.
Given all of the circumstances, I consider it appropriate to deal with this matter by the imposition of a fine. You are convicted and fined the sum of $800.00.