Man Who Used Modified Vodka Bottle As Drug Pipe Escapes Immediate Prison Term

By Alric Lindsay

A local man who refused to provide a urine sample to police after officers intercepted a modified vodka bottle used as a drug consumption apparatus avoided immediate imprisonment today, October 21, 2026, after his attorney revealed issues regarding his  ADHD diagnosis and self-medication for daily pain from a previous back injury.

Robert Ebanks appeared in the Summary Court facing multiple charges following a police stop on South Church Street in October 2025.  The court heard that when officers stopped Ebanks and discovered the makeshift pipe, they transported him to the detention centre. Once there, Ebanks flatly refused requests to provide a diagnostic urine specimen, electing to maintain total silence.

Defence lawyer Katie Williams mounted a detailed mitigation case, asking Chief Magistrate Hernandez for full structural credit following the early pleas. Williams disclosed that Ebanks had been diagnosed with ADHD during his childhood, which originally triggered his intersection with controlled substances. His dependency escalated significantly after 2020 when a traumatic back injury left him suffering from unrelenting daily pain.

Arguing that “rays of hope” were clearly evident, Williams highlighted that Ebanks had already spent a week in punitive custody and had previously conquered a 10-month probation order in 2020. Despite a brief, isolated relapse involving a positive test for cocaine in September, the defence showed that Ebanks had achieved documented periods of sobriety dating back to December 2025.

Chief Magistrate Hernandez accepted that immediate incarceration was unnecessary, observing: “I see no reason you should be placed in immediate custody.”

Balancing his medical hardships against his refusal to cooperate with law enforcement, Chief Magistrate Hernandez sentenced Ebanks to two months imprisonment for two  offences, ordering the terms to run concurrently and suspending the sentence for two years. Under the strict terms of his suspension, Ebanks must fully cooperate with probation services, complete a formalized relapse prevention curriculum, and provide unannounced, clean drug screens for the next two years.  Ebanks also faced traffic offences, but it appears that these were withdrawn by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.