A drug addict who stole two flat-screen televisions and linen from a Civic hotel to feed his addiction has been sentenced to an extra 10 months jail.
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David Michael Evans, 29, was already serving a 29-month jail term for a crime spree when he appeared for sentence on charges of aggravated burglary and theft in the ACT Supreme Court on Friday.
Evans, who admitted both charges, checked into a room at a Northbourne Avenue hotel for one night during a crime spree that involved 28 offences committed between November 2014 and February this year.
During his stay, Evans and a male co-offender went into an unlocked room and stole two flat-screen televisions, the contents of the minibar and some linen.
The total value of the stolen property was $2683.
Evans was identified by CCTV footage and arrested on February 8.
He has been in custody since.
Evans told a sentencing hearing on Tuesday that, at the time of the offences, he had been spending between $700 and $1200 a day on ice and wasn't thinking clearly because of his drug consumption.
He admitted using drugs while in the Alexander Maconochie Centre, but said his cravings for methamphetamines had subsided with the help of a daily dose of methadone.
The court heard Evans planned to stay off drugs and put his family first, and continued to enjoy the support of his partner, who visited him daily at the jail.
Evans said he would move to Perth or Darwin because "we don't know anyone over there. We just want to start our life".
Acting Justice David Robinson sentenced Evans to 10 months jail, starting in November 2016 on account of the existing prison term.
He will be eligible for release in September next year.
"I formed the very tentative (perhaps naive) view, on his evidence, that there may be substance in the offender's resolve to do better for himself this time," the judge said.
"Rehabilitation is not yet a foregone prospect."