A British man who tried to flee Australia on a jet ski in a bid to escape drugs charges has been jailed.
David James Jackson took off from the tip of Queensland armed with a crossbow and made it 90 miles to Papua New Guinean waters.
But the 57-year-old was arrested on the eastern side of Saibai Island after trying to evade authorities as they chased him in various vessels.
He was extradited to Western Australia, where he was jailed for seven years and five months for possessing an illegal drug with intent to sell or supply and possessing stolen property.
The charges date back to 2016, when police found 840g of 85 per cent pure methylamphetamine inside a speaker box in Jackson’s car
The District Court heard the long-term stimulant user had accepted meth as part payment for his work as a tow truck driver and when his boss went into custody, he was pressured to take over the drug dealing business and also wanted to maintain his own supply.
Jackson planned to go to trial but entered late guilty pleas, then fled the country while out on bail and awaiting sentencing.
He intended to start a new life in Bali but had no plan for when he got there and did not have much money.
Jackson faced Perth Magistrates' Court via video link from the maximum-security Casuarina Prison on Wednesday and was sentenced for breaching bail, possessing a prohibited weapon and possessing stolen property.
The court heard the weapon was a stun gun that was found in his car when police pulled him over in Perth city centre in 2016 while the stolen property was 10,250 Australian dollars in cash suspected of being either the proceeds of drug sales or money to buy drugs.
The father-of-two was fined a total of 500 Australian dollars for the bail breach and weapon charges, and handed a four-month prison sentence for the cash, to be served concurrently with his current jail term.
After serving it, he likely faces deportation to the UK, which he left at the age of five.