Dandenong Journal Star - 27th February 2017

Page 1

27 February 2017

5

A Star News Group Publication

Historians on the move to make history

SPORT

Bucks claim Twenty20 title in a dominant display

Hip-hop dance is in a spin Street Dreams is giving a free leg-up to budding Dandenong hip-hop dancers. Samson Smith from Justice Crew helped to welcome the Salvation Army and Musicians and Making A Difference (MMAD) program to Dandenong on Wednesday 22 February. The dance and mentoring classes are designed to inspire young people to come together and reach their full potential. Participants are invited to ‘pay as you feel’ so it’s accessible for everyone. Street Dreams is open to primary and secondary school students and will run at Dandenong Salvation Army, 55 James Street, Dandenong, at 4.30pm on Wednesdays. Visit www.streetdreams.info or call Isaac on 0417 780 033 to register. 164965 Picture: GARY SISSONS

n BMX star close to Olympic selection, but then drugs took hold...

Cocaine’s wild ride By Cam Lucadou-Wells He had lived the life of sporting success, taking out awards in Brazil, Australia and in his home country of France. He was on the brink of Olympic selection. But the hook of cocaine took hold after former BMX junior champion Olivier Hoarau became unemployed and depressed when his business wound up in 2015. Then within a few weeks he had been caught with $14,000 worth of drugs in the boot of his car outside a Dandenong night club. Police found 9.7 kilograms of ‘1,4-butaneiol’.

- nearly five times the commercial quantity and nearly 20 times the traffickable amount. In the County Court of Victoria, the 28-yearold pleaded guilty to possessing the 10 bottles of frozen liquid - often sold in nightclubs in smaller units and also used as a pre-cursor of GHB which were found about 1.40am on 14 August 2015. He also pleaded guilty to possessing a one gram bag of cocaine that fell from his underwear during a personal search at Dandenong Police Station that day. Born on the French Reunion Island, east of Madagascar, Hoarau had competed for France

in world BMX championships but his Olympic dreams were unrealised after moving to Australia about 10 years ago. Despite successes on the track, he was ineligible to compete for Australia because he was not a citizen and couldn’t compete for France because he no longer lived there. The court heard that after is business folded “so-called friends” introduced him to cocaine and steroids just weeks before his arrest. In sentencing on 17 February, County Court judge Meryl Sexton said prosecutors conceded there was no evidence of Hoarau intending to traffick the drug.

This was despite the suspicious circumstances, including the accused being found by police with a six-times convicted trafficker in the car. On the night, Hoarau told police that the drugs in the boot were his. His lawyer submitted to the County Court that they belonged to Hoarau’s convicted associate. Judge Sexton said on the balance of probabilities she wasn’t satisfied that Hoarau was trafficking but noted that he knew of the drugs in his car’s boot and there was a relationship with a known drug trafficker. Several referees said Hoarau’s drug-taking, including cocaine and steroids, was out of character. Continued page 3

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DANDENONG 9794 0010 1222553-PB15-16


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