“He wants to prove he doesn’t want to drink alcohol,” Wrench said. “He doesn’t want to be that person.”
He said Johns was subjected to “attacks” and “vitriol” because of his fame, including being harassed by fans, painting his mother’s house and being wrongly accused of attending a Sydney brothel, which caused a defamation payment.
Wrench said these incidents had been triggers for Johns’ mental health and that he had been “an inmate” since he was discharged from rehab in late June. He said Johns’ latest album “was number one” while he was in rehab, but that he has not attended any events.
Magistrate Ian Cheetham said Johns had a previous offense of driving mid-range alcohol on his record since February 2015 and was experiencing “significant” poisoning on the occasion, while driving at an unknown speed.
However, he said, it would be inappropriate for Johns to receive a full-time prison term due to his complex mental health issues, for which he is currently receiving treatment.
In a court report, a psychologist described Johns as a “deeply problematic person” who had experienced the “highly dysfunctional behavior of other people” as a result of his “weather career” in the music industry.
Because of this exposure at a young age, the psychologist said, Johns was unable to develop in a stable and integrated manner, including not being able to develop normal emotions and coping skills.
The court heard that Johns is experiencing a number of disorders, such as a personality disorder, an eating disorder, and severe, chronic arthritis pain that is exacerbated by stress.
Cheetham sentenced Johns to a 10-month intensive correction order, a form of community-serving prison sentence.
According to the order, he must be supervised by the community corrections and receive treatment according to the instructions. He has also been disqualified from driving for seven months and will be subject to a two-year lock-in order once he is allowed to drive again.
Cheetham told the police prosecutor to take Johns’ license, before wishing him the best.
Johns did not speak when he left court with his lawyer.
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