The Court: Ringwood Magistrates Court
The Lawyer: Ashleigh Wallace
The Charges:
- Trafficking a Drug of Dependence
- Possess a Drug of Dependence
- Dealing with Property Suspected of Being Proceeds of Crime
The Allegations:
The client was a 26-year-old football player. His friends and the client were out at a bar one night when the client’s friend said he had some ecstasy tablets that he wanted to get rid of. The client said he would help his friend and took some of the tablets. That evening, the client sold tablets on two occasions at a nightclub to two different people and was caught by the security guards.
One of the security guards notified the police, who arrived shortly thereafter. Police subsequently searched the client, and ecstasy tablets and cash from the sale of the tablets were found.
At Court:
The client made a full confessional record of interview. In hindsight, this was a mistake as the police did not have any statements from the security guards or the purchasers of the ecstasy tablets; therefore, there was no substantial evidence of the offences.
However, the client made admissions in his record of interview regarding the offences, and the police therefore relied on the client’s interview to prove the charges against him. Our solicitor asked the client to provide a couple of clean urine screens and several different character references before the court date.
The Outcome:
A plea of guilty was entered to the charges, and following submissions, the court ordered that the client complete a 200-hour Community Correction Order over 12 months. Given the client’s age, lack of prior convictions, and cooperation with the police during the investigation, the Magistrate did not record a conviction against our client’s name.
This was an excellent outcome for the client, as he was able to avoid having a criminal conviction on his record.
