The incarcerated brother of murdered Warilla teen Jye McWatters has told a court he is struggling to deal with the death of his younger sibling from behind bars.
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Lawyers for Dale McWatters said the 21-year-old had been in custody since April last year after being refused bail on a series of drug, stealing and driving charges.
He was awaiting sentencing on some of the charges when Jye, 18, was shot and killed outside the family’s Warilla home on Boxing Day.
McWatters was unable to attend his brother’s funeral due to his incarceration, defence lawyer Matt Ward told the court during a sentencing hearing on Friday.
“He’s the one who took care of [Jye],” Mr Ward said of the nature of the relationship between the siblings while growing up.
“He’s still struggling with [Jye’s death] and wants to be with his family to grieve.”
The court heard McWatters’ series of crimes had been committed while he was in the grip of an ice addiction.
They included stealing $3.50 from the Warilla Sports Club, attempting to break into a convenience store at Shell Cove and a high-speed police pursuit in a stolen car.
Magistrate Michael Stoddart sympathised with McWatters, describing his brother’s death as a tragedy, but said he still needed to answer for his crimes.
He fixed a 20 month jail sentence, with a 12 month non-parole period.
With time served, McWatters will be released on parole on April 11.
