Ice addict trapped mother in home for two hours and took phone, court hears
A Canberra ice addict who confined his mother to their home and took away her mobile phone has shown a "disturbing" lack of ability to reflect on his actions, a court has heard.
James Anthony Eimerl, 23, trapped his mother in their home at Forrest for two hours in July last year, and stole her mobile phone to prevent her calling for help.
He pleaded guilty to unlawful confinement, theft and also to property damage, a charge which was laid over damage to a door and a heater.
The author of a pre-sentence report said Eimerl's "ability to reflect on his behaviour was absent to a disturbing degree".
At the time of the incident, Eimerl was on parole.
The author told the court that he asked Eimerl how he managed to return clean urine samples when he was heavily using ice.
"His answer was timing," the author said.
"He knew what the window was."
Eimerl's lawyer Richard Davies told the court he felt betrayed after his parents went to the authorities for help, after he relapsed into addiction.
He said Eimerl had also recently broken up with his girlfriend.
Davies conceded his client's mother "would have been frightened by the experience".
But he told the court Eimerl's ice addiction went some way to explaining the crime.
"He has for some time been in the clutches of a serious drug problem," Mr Davis said.
The court heard that while in jail, Eimerl had completed a drug program.
However Justice John Burns told the court Eimerl had already done a drug rehabilitation, and he had to take responsibility for his actions.
"When he resumes taking the drugs he does so in the knowledge of what that means ... he is not a novice," Justice Burns said.
"He knows that resuming the drug means that he will quickly become addicted."
Eimerl will be sentenced next week.
