An aspiring young actor nabbed trying to sell ecstasy at a Wollongong music festival two years ago has found himself back inside a courtroom after being sprung in possession of the horse tranqulizer drug Ketamine.
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Matthew Lance Hajner, a Wollongong High School of the Performing Arts graduate who won a regional theatre award in 2016 for his feature role in the school's production of the musical Hairspray, was busted with the dangerous drug when police pulled his vehicle over in the CBD on May 12.
Court documents said officers were speaking to the owner of a vehicle parked opposite North Wollongong Surf Lifesaving Club around 11.30pm when they noticed Hajner put his indicator on to pull into the same carpark, but then drive off at the sight of police.
The officers got in their vehicle and followed Hajner, stopping him on Corrimal Street. When questioned, the 20-year-old told police he had nothing illegal in his possession, however officers found a clear resealable plastic bag containing a white powder in his wallet during a subsequent search.
Hajner confirmed the drug was Ketamine. He said he used it by "running [it] around my gums" but would not tell police from whom he acquired it.
Hajner was given a notice to attend court on June 25 on a single count of drug possession. He turned up on that occasion and asked for the case to be adjourned so he could get legal advice, however failed to return to court at the next mention date on July 9, prompting a warrant to be issued for his arrest.
He was picked up at his East Corrimal home early Tuesday morning, during which time police found him in possession of 12 grams of cannabis.
Appearing in court later that day, Hajner pleaded guilty to both drug possession charges.
The court heard the 20-year-old had a history of drug use, and was still mid-way through serving a two-year good-behaviour bond imposed on him in July 2018 after he was caught with MDMA at the MTV Beats and East Festival held at Stuart Park in November 2017.
Police facts outlining that incident said Hajner was found with a small bag containing 10 ecstasy capsules as he tried to enter the festival. He freely admitted to police he'd bought the pills for $15-a-piece and planned to sell them for about $40 each inside the event.
Magistrate Michael Stoddart revoked the good-behaviour bond and placed Hajner on a 12-month supervised community corrections order that includes mandatory drug and alcohol counselling.
"I think you ought to do it [the counselling] because you're running out of chances," he said.
He also fined Hajner $500.
