A 34-year-old Collie man was fined $2200 after pleading guilty to trespass last week after he was caught by police hiding in a backyard.
Earl Derek Hart appeared in the Collie Magistrates Court via videolink on Wednesday, August 22 and pleaded guilty to one charge of trespass and one charge of breaching bail in relation to the incident in July.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Greg Ward told the court Hart had failed to appear for his previous court appearance on July 25 and an arrest warrant was issued.
When Hart was spotted by officers on July 30, he attempted to run from them. Sergeant Ward said he had jumped over fences and ran across backyards before he was found by police hiding in a backyard at a property on Ogden Street.
He was taken into custody at the time and had been held in remand since.
Hart’s lawyer Michelle Huber said he had originally attended court on the day but had left before his case was called in order to go to hospital because he thought he may have been overdosing on morphine.
She said he had then run when spotted by police because of the arrest warrant that had been issued for that breach.
Hart was given a $2000 fine for the trespass and a $200 for breaching his bail conditions by Magistrate Evan Shackleton.
Hart had also pleaded not guilty to a separate charge of attempted home burglary with intent, with a trial allocation date of September 12 set.
