The son of gangster Mark 'Chopper' Read has been sentenced to 15 months in prison for a string of crimes, with the court hearing how his life began to unravel after his father's death.
Charles Vincent Read, 24, appeared in the Hobart District Court on Wednesday after pleading guilty to burglary, car theft, firearms offences, driving while disqualified, breaching bail, drug charges and headbutting a police officer.
Read's lawyer Caroline Graves said her client was remorseful and there was a sense of “skylarking and larrikinism” surrounding several breaches of bail conditions.
Read began using alcohol and drugs, including methamphetamine, when he was just 14 after the traumatic death of his father, Ms. Graves said.
She said Read faced bullying and notoriety at school and could become a self-fulfilling prophecy, but noted that “as long as there is life, there is hope.”
Charles Vincent Read, 24, appeared in the Hobart Magistrates Court on Wednesday after pleading guilty to burglary, car theft, firearms offences, driving while disqualified, breaching bail, drug charges and headbutting a police officer
“(He) would do better with an agent than with a counselor,” she told the court Wednesday.
“He has a personality … that probably attracts the good, the bad and the ugly (but) he doesn't blame other people.”
Read's father, popularly known as 'Chopper', died in 2013 and was the subject of a film in 2000 about his life and time in prison.
The younger Read and an accomplice stole about $7,000 worth of cigarettes and cash after breaking into a gas station in southern Tasmania in December 2022.
When questioned by police after a search found cigarettes at his home, Read said a friend must have dropped them off.
Ammunition was found on the floor of the bedroom and kitchen.
On New Year's Eve 2022, police were called to a Hobart suburb to reports of a man shouting and scaring people with a spear gun.
Police found Read with a pocket knife and switchblade, and discovered the harpoon in a bush next to him.
Read's father, popularly known as 'Chopper' (pictured), died in 2013 and was the subject of a film in 2000 about his life and time in prison.
Read (pictured) started using alcohol and drugs, including methamphetamine, when he was just 14 after the traumatic death of his father, Ms Graves said
He told officers he had the harpoon for protection.
In January, Read was caught driving while disqualified and in a separate incident assaulted a man in a house, calling him a pedophile and saying he would bash his head in.
Read several times this year that he has breached bail conditions, including in July when he was spotted in a pub.
He was not in the presence of his mother – one of the conditions for leaving his home.
When Read was picked up by police, he called officers 'dogs' and 'c****' and headbutted one officer, although the impact was 'minimal'.
He previously pleaded guilty to all relevant charges, including burglary, theft and possession of ammunition while not having the correct firearms licence.
He also admitted driving while disqualified, unlawfully possessing property, possessing a dangerous object in a public place, assaulting a police officer and breaching bail.
Read (pictured) experienced bullying and notoriety at school and could become a self-fulfilling prophecy, but noted 'as long as there is life, there is hope'
Ms Graves said Read could not recall a crime not related to drug use.
She said Read, who was already in custody, had the support of his extended family and would aim to return to work upon his release.
He was sentenced to a total of fifteen months in prison, backdated to early June.
The sentence included a six-month activated prison sentence for previous drug and alcohol offences.
He was sentenced to six weeks in prison, fully suspended for two years, for the assault and also disqualified from driving for a total of 18 months.