A teenager who broke into a club and stole a cupful of loose change before fleeing with another man in a stolen car has been sentenced to a total of 23 months’ jail.
Daniel Quis, 19, bragged to authorities that he only wanted to go to rehabilitation to look good in court and claimed he would walk out of the rehabilitation centre and head back to Canberra as soon as he was enrolled.
Quis pleaded guilty to one charge of riding in a stolen car, one charge of aggravated burglary and another of theft.
The ACT Supreme Court heard Quis and another, unknown man smashed a glass door at the Southern Cross Club in Phillip in the early hours of February 1.
They stole a cash register, a cupful of loose change and a folder with membership and other information.
They were spotted making off in a white Mazda that had been stolen from a Kambah home the day before.
Police saw Quis and his co-offender in the car at about 3am and pulled it over in Lyneham.
The court heard Quis had suffered a traumatic childhood and had begun taking drugs and alcohol at the ‘‘depressingly young’’ age of 10 or 11.
He had been kicked out of various schools for his attitude and had been sacked from one job after turning up drunk or on drugs.
Crown prosecutor Chris Todd said Quis had a cavalier attitude to his offending and had told authorities he would only enter a rehab program if it meant he was released from jail, saying ‘‘f--- youse if you won’t let me go’’.
Mr Todd argued a further sentence of imprisonment was warranted. But defence barrister Richard Davies said Quis was a young first-time offender with an extremely dysfunctional childhood who was at a crossroads.
Mr Davies said Quis had mental health issues including previous episodes of drug-induced psychosis, and rehabilitation was the primary concern.
The court heard Quis could enter the Solaris therapeutic program at the territory’s jail, the Alexander Maconochie Centre.
Justice Richard Refshauge said he was always willing to give younger offenders the chance to rehabilitate themselves, even at the risk of appearing excessively lenient.
But he said Quis also needed to be willing to work at rehabilitation. ‘‘He’s going to be in the devil’s playground, hang around with other antisocial types, get bored out his mind, drugs take the boredom away,’’ he said.
‘‘But if courts are going to play a role, then he’s got to come to the party and at the moment there’s not a lot of coming to the party.’’
He said Quis had told authorities addiction was the only thing he knew – words the judge described as desperate.
Justice Refshauge sentenced Quis to a total of 23 months’ jail with a non-parole period of nine months backdated to February. He told the young man it was up to him to enter and pass the Solaris program, saying he had been left with few options to help him. Quis will be eligible for release in November.