Stewart Dean appeared in Shepparton Magistrates’ Court yesterday after a police search warrant found an amount of cannabis, ecstasy and a stolen motorbike at his Mooroopna property.
The court heard on October 10, 2018, police executed a search warrant at Dean’s premises about 4.20am.
Police lawyer Molly Wooderson told the court that during the search police located a blue shopping bag containing 28g of cannabis in the kitchen.
The court heard police also located a small quantity of cannabis in the bedroom of the home, along with 10 small ecstasy tablets which were found in Dean’s wallet.
Ms Wooderson told the court police also located a KTM motorbike in the rear courtyard of the property which had been stolen between November 3 and 5, 2018, from outside Little Lonsdale St in Melbourne.
Dean’s defence counsel Anthony Coote told the court Dean had now been out of jail for nine months after spending a total of nearly three years in jail.
‘‘He’s been out for nine months and not back in so that’s a start given his recent history for going back in pretty quickly after getting out,’’ Mr Coote said.
Mr Coote said Dean was staying out of trouble and was currently working to restart his landscaping business.
Magistrate Stella Stuthridge handed Dean a $1500 fine without conviction, noting his guilty plea at the first available opportunity.
‘‘You have been out for a while now and apart from this you have had no other trouble ... it sounds like you’re moving through to a better place,’’ Ms Stuthridge said.