Family loses $10,000 bail guarantee

A MOUNT Gambier man who breached home detention bail has cost his parents $10,000 and will also spend an indefinite amount of time in prison while he awaits trial in the Mount Gambier Magistrates Court.

Jamahl David von Stanke, 42, appeared in court via video-link on Tuesday to be sentenced for various other charges he had pleaded guilty to at an earlier hearing.

Four of the charges related to breaching home detention bail by taking drugs, having a protected person stay with him in a caravan at the premises where he was residing and not moving the caravan from the property.

Von Stanke was granted bail to live at his parents address provided his mother provide a $10,000 cash guarantee to the court, along with a further $10,000 cash surety.

A local solicitor for the defendant’s mother attempted to argue the parents “could not have done much more” to ensure Von Stanke complied with bail.

Magistrate Teresa Anderson disagreed, stating the defendant should not have been living in a caravan in the backyard where they could not monitor who was coming in and out.

The solicitor conceded the $10,000 surety to the court on behalf of the parents on the agreed basis that no forfeiture would be made for the further $10,000 guarantee.

As well as the breaches of bail, Von Stanke was also charged with two counts of drug driving, which occurred on November 7 and 11.

On the first occasion he tested positive to methamphetamine and on the second occasion tested positive to both cannabis and ice.

He was also charged with a further count of breaching the intervention order because he was found in company with a protected person in early January.

The defendant’s lawyer said their client had been provided with a document by the protected person, which he thought meant they could be together.

“She informed him that she had set aside the intervention order,” the defendant’s lawyer said.

Magistrate Anderson said it was concerning Von Stanke was willing to breach the intervention order and bail when his parents stood to lose $20,000.

She sentenced Von Stanke to five weeks imprisonment for the offending, backdated to start on January 29.

Magistrate Anderson indicated the defendant would be remanded in custody beyond that sentence for the assault charges for which he was originally granted home detention bail.

That matter is listed for trial on April 12.

Court costs were also ordered.