Representing himself in Shepparton Magistrates’ Court on June 17, Kialla 26-year-old Mohammed Al Ramadan was admonished by magistrate Victoria Campbell for his offending.
“You’re acting like a spoilt brat, to be honest,” she said.
“You need to grow up, stop using drugs and driving badly.”
Al Ramadan pleaded guilty to 13 charges including attempted trafficking of amphetamine, possession of cannabis, amphetamine and methamphetamine, driving while disqualified and stating a false name.
In August 2020, Al Ramadan was the driver of a car searched by police at Shepparton’s Princess Park Football Oval.
Police found a small set of scales and zip-lock bags containing 18 individual capsules with a crystal substance inside, weighing 5.02g in total.
When he was interviewed by police Al Ramadan told them it was against his religion to deal drugs.
However, police analysed two phones they had seized from Al Ramadan and found evidence of drug trafficking in text messages, including one he sent offering three “caps of MD” in exchange for sex.
In a separate incident in August 2021, Al Ramadan was intercepted by police while driving on Archer St, Shepparton, and gave the officers his brother’s name.
He also refused to accompany police for an oral fluid test and tried to hide a zip-lock bag with cannabis in it.
When police questioned him about not matching the photo with the name he gave them, he responded: “I’ve been getting laser treatment to grow my hair back, it’s me.”
In an interview with police after he was arrested, he said: “In the long run, I know I’m going to be found innocent.”
Al Ramadan was sentenced to a 12-month community corrections order with 120 hours of unpaid community work, treatment and rehabilitation for drug use and offender behaviour programs.
His licence was cancelled and he was disqualified from driving for two years, backdated to August 2021.
He told the court he had come to Australia from Iraq when he was three years old and had been recently unemployed due to losing his licence, but had previously worked in concreting and at a packing shed.
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