A Queensland convicted murderer whose attempt to evade a traffic stop led to the death of a police dog has been jailed for seven years.
Alan Lace, 54, faced Brisbane Supreme Court on Tuesday on multiple serious drugs charges as well as obstructing police and dangerous operation of a vehicle.
Lace was jailed for life in 2001 for the murder of Margaret James, 55, at Caboolture, north of Brisbane on July 7, 1999.
Lace shot Ms James in the head with a revolver at close range after asking her: "Do you want to play roulette?".
Lace was granted parole in January last year and within five months had accumulated a $20,000 debt to criminal associates.
Lace aimed to repay the associates by exchanging their cash for 1.3 kilograms of pure methamphetamine at a hotel in the inner Brisbane suburb of Kangaroo Point.
Crown prosecutor Chris Cook said police spotted Lace driving erratically in a BMW, which contained the methamphetamine, on the Bruce Highway at Maryborough on June 19 last year.
After being pulled over, police saw a clip seal bag in the vehicle and asked to search the BMW at which point Lace drove off at high speed, crashed into another car and escaped by driving through a paddock.
"During the manhunt for Mr Lace the police dog Rambo was hit by another car on the highway and was killed (while) following his scent," Mr Cook said.
Mr Cook pointed to a police statement at the time that said dog handler officers had an "inseparable" bond with the animals they commanded.
Lace's barrister Scott Lynch said his client had a "troubled upbringing" and started using alcohol and then heroin at age 14 while living on the streets in Sydney's Kings Cross.
Justice Elizabeth Wilson said she was constrained in some of her sentencing as Lace would be serving a term for murder until he died.
"These offences are extremely serious. You were in possession of an enormous commercial quantity of methamphetamines," she said.
"You crashed a car while fleeing from police, which caused the tragic and untimely death of a police dog.
"Whilst on the run, you possessed further methamphetamines."
Justice Wilson set Lace, who has been in custody for 17 months, a parole eligibility date of November 10 next year and disqualified him from driving for 18 months.
