FIVE years ago he gained international notoriety and a new nickname when, as a 14-year-old, he was arrested in Bali for buying about $25 worth of cannabis.
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He became known as “Bali Boy” – the teenager who, for the wrong reasons, had put the sleepy lakeside suburb of Morisset Park on the map.
He then became the focus of intense legal and diplomatic efforts to secure his release.
Eventually, he had his day in Denpasar District Court, where he admitted his addiction, but vowed never to touch drugs again.
Crucially, this meant he could be dealt with leniently under Indonesian law.
He was sentenced to two months jail and fined the equivalent of 22 cents.
A week later, with time already served, he returned home to Australia and relative obscurity.
But what became of the “Bali Boy”?
The Newcastle Herald can reveal that, now 19, and still living in Morisset Park, he faced Toronto Local Court this week charged with two counts of possession of a prohibited drug and negligent driving.
He has pleaded guilty to all charges.
Police found him in possession of cannabis twice in less than a month late last year, according to court documents.
The total weight of the drug was more than 40 grams, which the teenager told them was for personal use, saying he smoked cannabis daily and had a $300-a-week habit, court documents state. On October 9, police patrolling Morisset approached a car parked in Bernie Goodwill Memorial Park, spoke to the teenager and quickly determined he was affected by drugs.
A search uncovered 33.5 grams, or more than an ounce, of cannabis, most of which was stuffed down the teenager’s pants, and other drug paraphernalia.
Then on November 14, police in Cooranbong watched as a vehicle, being driven by the teenager, pulled out in front of them and slid out onto the wrong side of the road in front of oncoming traffic, court documents state.
Police stopped the vehicle, spoke to the “Bali Boy”, who was behind the wheel, and again found cannabis stuffed down his pants. This time it was about 7.21 grams, or "a 20 of pot", as the teenager told them. On October 4, 2011, when he was first arrested for possession of 3.6 grams of cannabis, the teenager faced the possibility of 12 years in jail under Indonesia’s tough anti-drug laws.
As debate raged back home about whether Australian authorities should intervene, the “addiction defense” came into focus. When it came time to give evidence, he begged a judge for forgiveness and promised he would never touch drugs again.
The defence worked.
