Slade Luke Howes, 27, pleads guilty to theft while being on drugs in court

A Bunbury man asked to be sentenced with a community based order in court while being high on drugs. Slade Luke Howes, 27, pleaded guilty in the Bunbury Magistrates Court on Thursday to three counts of stealing. Throughout the hearing, Howes was slurring his speech to the point magistrate Tony Sullivan had to ask him to repeat himself. Howes also repeatedly asked if he could sit down. Mr Sullivan asked Howes how recently he had taken drugs. “A couple of hours ago,” Howes said. The stealing charges included the theft of a television from Aldi and a $429 portable air-conditioner from Target in January. He was also charged with stealing a bottle of Jack Daniel’s from Dan Murphy’s Bunbury, which Howes debated. “I didn’t steal that, I was accompanying the person who stole it,” Howes said. Mr Sullivan said that just because Howes didn’t physically steal the bottle did not mean he was free from the charge. “You were with a woman, you chose and handed her the bottle of Jack Daniel’s, she put it under her shirt and you both walked out together,” he said. “That’s entering into a party ... you both organised to steal it.” Howes had already served time in prison and breached an order given after his release by testing positive to drugs. He requested a community based order be given to him as he wanted to stop self-medicating his schizophrenia. He had already admitted himself into counselling through a self-referral. “Cannabis is not going to help your schizophrenia and I think you already know that,” Mr Sullivan said. Howes was given a community based order and not fined.