A convicted rapist who breached the curfew of his high-risk offender order because he was stuck in a fast-food drive-through was given jail time.
Appearing almost a week after he was refused bail, Christo Brown was in custody when he was sentenced in the Launceston Magistrates Court on Tuesday, August 25, 2026.
In September 2025, Supreme Court Chief Justice Christopher Shanahan ordered Brown be deemed a high-risk offender for five years from his release from prison.
Defence lawyer Fran McCracken said most of her client's matters before the court would resolve on Tuesday.
Police prosecutor Jade Tonkin said prosecution would offer no evidence to two separate counts of breaching Brown's high-risk offender order.
Ms Tonkin said it was also agreed that a matter, containing two counts of breaching a section of the high-risk offender order and a count of unlawfully bringing an unauthorised thing into a prison, would be withdrawn.
Ms McCracken said Brown would plead guilty to two separate charges of breaching his offender order.
On the first occasion on May 31, Ms Tonkin said the monitoring compliance unit had contacted Brown after his electronic ankle monitor indicated he was not at his residence by his 8pm curfew.
The court heard Brown explained he was late because he stopped by his brother's place to get a phone charger. He arrived home at 8.03pm.
Ms Tonkin said on June 13, Brown contacted the monitoring compliance unit to tell them he was running late because he was in line at Hungry Jack's. He arrived home by 8.06pm.
His lawyer submitted that while he was only minutes late on both occasions, it was accepted he needed to "organise his life more around the [high-risk offender] order".
Brown was arrested in relation to other matters two days later on June 15, and had spent two months and 12 days in custody, according to Ms McCracken.
Ms McCracken said previous pleas of guilty to two counts each of breaching the high-risk offender order and breaching bail were maintained.
Brown was jailed for eight years in 2018 after a jury found him guilty of raping a 76-year-old West Launceston woman after breaking into her home in 2015.
Ms McCracken said Brown had difficulty acclimatising back into the community since his release from prison in October 2025.
Certain factors had made this a "particularly difficult period," Ms McCracken said, including how highly publicised Brown's court matters were, alongside community members making racist comments about him and posting pictures of him against his will.
'You need to organise your life'
While sentencing the 29-year-old, deputy chief magistrate Ken Stanton said Brown needed to strictly comply with the court's orders.
"A toe over the line is a toe over the line," Mr Stanton said.
"You need to organise your life so you're not late."
Brown was handed a one-month jail term, which the magistrate backdated to July 25.
Matters Brown has pleaded not guilty to were adjourned for a hearing to February 22, 2027.
These included a count each of evading police, being a learner driver driving unaccompanied, failing to clearly display 'L' plates, refusing an oral fluid test, and three counts of breaching a section of the high-risk offender order.
Ms McCracken said Brown also pleaded not guilty to a count of failing to comply with a direction to submit to an oral fluid analysis.
Brown was granted bail on matters he has pleaded not guilty to, and he was free to leave custody.