Suspended jail triggered for meth user

A Broome man has been jailed for his drug-fuelled ordeal that saw him attempt to steal cash from a supermarket till then perform a lewd act in front of officers and strike another after he was arrested. Daniel Aitken, 26, appeared in Broome Magistrate’s Court via videolink from West Kimberley Regional Prison last Monday and pleaded guilty to a series of offences committed while under the influence of methamphetamine in October. The court was told Aitken was trying to buy a cigarette lighter from Coles at 4.30pm on October 19 when he leaned over the check-out counter and grabbed $750 from the cash register, which had been opened by an employee who was about to hand Aitken his change. Although Aitken tried running out of the store with the cash, he was quickly apprehended by an off-duty detective until police arrived at the scene. As officers tried to arrest Aitken, he attempted to retrieve the stolen cash and escape, only to be apprehended a second time and conveyed to Broome Police Station. At the police station, Aitken was taken to the lock-up area and a strip search was conducted, where officers found a knife that the man admitted was his, explaining to them it was for “self-protection”. Aitken then proceeded to perform a lewd act in front of the officers while “blowing kisses” towards them during the search. After spending time inside a padded cell following the indecent act, Aitken was in the process of being released on bail but was forced to stay in custody when he punched Const. Peter Larter in the jaw. It was later found Aitken committed the offences just a day after he had been placed on a conditional suspended imprisonment order, having been convicted of smashing 23 windows at his mother’s house in Derby, causing $7000 in damage. In submissions, the court was told Aitken had been struggling with his mental health and an addiction to methamphetamine after living on the streets. Aitken also wrote two letters to the court apologising for his offending. However, Magistrate Stephen Sharratt said while his remorse went a long way, he found it would be unjust for the suspended seven-month prison term not to be triggered. After taking into account that Aitken had been in custody on remand for three months, Magistrate Sharratt handed down a four-month prison term as well as an additional two-month term for the obstruction and assault charges. Aitken was also fined a total of $2000 for the remaining offences and given eligibility for parole.