Clinical forensic psychologist Patrick Newton said Patrick Leonidas, 31, had a moderate gerneralised anxiety disorder that was likely to impair his decision-making.

He said the anxiety disorder did not cause Leonidas’ criminal behaviour but impacted his thought processes. 

“His thoughts are scattered and he tended to think another way,” Mr Newton said.

“He is eccentric, he is unusual, he is odd to put it bluntly. This has impaired his functioning.”

Mr Newton said the fact Leonidas, an Uber driver, persisted with importing ephedrine from India showed he was not thinking clearly.

“He persists to send the order and money which shows he wasn’t thinking clearly,” he said.

Mr Newton made the comments during Leonidas’ plea hearing at the County Court at Ballarat on Friday.

Leonidas, a father of three, has pleaded guilty to attempting to traffick methylamphetamine and the Commonwealth offence of importing tier one goods.

The offending started on January 1, 2015 and lasted 15 months.

The court was previously told Leonidas, of Parwan near Bacchus Marsh, had researched on the internet how to make methylamphetamine (ice) to make money to support his family.

Leonidas contacted a man in India to purchase $6842 worth of ephedrine - the drug used to manufacture ice. The shipment of the ephedrine was intercepted in Sydney.

The address on the shipment was linked to a PO Box Leonidas had opened in Melton. On June 15, 2016 Australian Federal Police attended Leonidas’ rural Parwan property where a clandestine lab was found in a chicken shed.

Leonidas’ barrister Ruth Shann urged the court to consider a number of mitigating circumstances in her client’s case.

She said Leonidas confessed to an aunty before his arrest, he co-operated with police, was remorseful, pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and would experience custodial hardship.

“He said in his interview (with police), ‘I’m glad you found it,’... ‘I made a mistake. I realise I have to look after my family.’,” Ms Shann said.

The prosecution called for immediate imprisonment. Judge Sue Pullen will sentence Leonidas on May 18.