Former councillor changes his plea

Former Town of Port Hedland councillor and deputy mayor Arthur Gear pleaded guilty last week to the downgraded charge of attempting to manufacture a prohibited drug.

Mr Gear, 47, had originally been charged in July last year with the more serious offence of manufacturing a prohibited drug after he and Adam Fitzgerald, 35, were allegedly caught producing methamphetamine.

The pair initially pleaded not guilty in February before Fitzgerald changed his plea and was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment with parole last week.

Mr Gear is due to be sentenced for the new charge on June 23 in the Perth District Court.

A former chairman of the Ngarli Yarndu ATSIC Regional Council, Mr Gear served as a Port Hedland councillor for eight years until 2009 when he narrowly missed out on re-election.