Slide into addiction by former bank manager
A FORMER bank manager lost her job and watched her family fall apart as she descended into an “eight ball” a week methylamphetamine addiction, a court has heard.
Maria Louise Iacutone, 43, managed to steer clear of drugs for most of her life, finishing year 12 and becoming a successful branch manager at a major bank.
Cairns District Court heard it was not until the age of 37 that entries began appearing on her criminal history for drug and propertyrelated offences.
Defence barrister Rachelle Logan said it was about 10 years ago that Iacutone was finding it hard to “keep all the plates spinning in her life”. A mother of three, she had a full-time job at the bank, a mango and cattle farm with her partner they were trying to keep afloat, and a sick child to care for.
Ms Logan said Iacutone disclosed her difficulties to some friends, who suggested to her that she could start smoking methylamphetamine at night when she needed to keep awake.
Ms Logan said her client was a casual drug user at first but her usage bled into her relationship with her partner.
“They, as a family unit, started to lose control of their lives,” Ms Logan said.
“That relationship became violent and she was subject to violence within the home.
“Unsurprisingly, Your Honour, she did go on to lose her job.”
The family home broke up, and Iacutone fell in with the wrong crowd, supplying drugs to support her habit.
Iacutone pleaded guilty in the Cairns District Court on Friday to 11 counts of supplying or offering to supply drugs during a two-and-ahalf-month period between June 3 and August 15, 2020.
One offer to supply was for 14g of meth.
The largest amount Iacutone actually supplied was 3.5g, but the majority of deals were less than one gram.
Ms Logan detailed how Iacutone’s nine months spent on remand was occupied working in the prison laundry and achieving certificates in construction, hospitality, and conservation and land management.
Iacutone was released on bail three months ago and is now living with her parents, labouring on their farm, the court heard.
“Her ex-partner, who she is on good terms with, was able to quit all the drugs … she is hopeful that one day they can mend their family unit,” Ms Logan said.
Given the opportunity to speak to Judge Ian Dearden ahead of her sentencing, Iacutone told him she was looking at addressing her drug habit.
“At the end of the day, that’s where everything stems from. I need to address that and get my life back on track,” she said.
Judge Dearden said the real issue for Iacutone was whether she wanted to change – and whether she was prepared to do the hard work to escape addiction.
“Unfortunately, you’ve made some poor choices and those poor choices have quite literally seen a whole lot of really valuable things in your life turn to dust,” he said.
Taking into account nine months Iacutone spent on remand before being granted bail three months ago, Judge Dearden sentenced her to two-and-a-half years imprisonment, wholly suspended for an operational period of four years, and three years probation.