Andrew Thomas Johnston sentenced for stealing from woman at West Tamworth McDonald's

Andrew Thomas Johnston was jailed in Tamworth Local Court for demanding $4000 from a 29-year-old woman before she escaped his car.

The court heard Johnston had told police the woman transferred him the money for a "legitimate" engagement ring he was selling on Facebook Marketplace.

"His actions were stupid, he said, and something he regrets," Aboriginal Legal Service defence solicitor Courtney Edstein said.

She said the catalyst for the 33-year-old's offending was to fund his drug addiction and pay off debts.

The court heard Johnston was willing to address his drug use, had a job lined up, and details of his difficult upbringing were laid bare.

Miss Edstein asked the court to impose a community-based jail term, or intensive correction order (ICO).

She said Johnston had strong community ties, with family members in court to support him.

Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) solicitor Carly Berrigan opposed an ICO.

"The Crown has concerns about community safety being met," she said.

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She told the court the Crown also had concerns about Johnston's willingness to address his drug addiction, after he admitted to using while behind bars.

"The problem is people have serious addictions that aren't addressed in custody," magistrate Julie Soars said.

"He gets out, probably goes okay for a while ... then there's further serious offending at the moment."

She said the question was whether a community-based order - which Johnston had been on before - would provide him "sufficient assistance".

"We're hampered in Tamworth, we don't have a full-time drug rehab," she said.

"It's hard to understand in a city this size why we're in this position."

She found Johnston was not safe to release into the community and sentenced him to 16 months' imprisonment, with eight months non-parole, finding special circumstances.

After time served, he will be eligible for release in August.

"Hopefully he will get some strong support on parole to make the changes he needs to," Ms Soars said.

Johnston had pleaded guilty to larceny; and demanding property with menaces.

For one charge of possessing 0.210g of methamphetamine in his bedroom at the time of his arrest, he was convicted without further penalty.

Johnston started talking to the victim on Snapchat before meeting her in the West Tamworth McDonald's carpark about 1.30pm on June 26, last year.

CCTV captures the woman getting in the front passenger seat of Johnston's bronze-coloured Honda then "falling out" of the car five minutes later.

In that time, Johnston demanded she transfer him money through her banking app, and the "fearful" woman sent him a total of $4000.

She managed to escape by opening the door without Johnston noticing, and he "reversed quickly and sped out of the car park".

He was charged in Tamworth in July.

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