Pair caught with drugs
MADISON Kate Cook-Long, 24, and Russel Vincent Gimm, 26, fronted Toowoomba Supreme Court on Friday where they pleaded guilty to possessing dangerous drugs.
Cook-Long pleaded guilty to possession of MDMA, while Gimm pleaded guilty to possessing a controlled substance without a prescription.
The pair were both named on an indictment for possession of methylamphetamine and cannabis.
The court was told that on June 24, 2020 police executed a search warrant on Gimm’s Toowoomba property and found Cook-Long in his bedroom where 23.8g of MDMA was found on a bedside table with a set of scales.
Crown prosecutor Ellen Fletcher said the search also uncovered 0.6g of methylamphetamine found in a sunglasses case and 96g of cannabis in separate quantities.
The court was told a day after the raid Cook-Long attended Toowoomba Police Station to confess the MDMA was hers for personal use, as well as 91g of cannabis.
Ms Fletcher said while there was a “large” quantity of drugs found in the raid, there was no evidence to suggest there was any transaction taking place.
Ms Fletcher said at the time of the offence Gimm had 20 previous drug convictions, including one of trafficking methylamphetamine in 2019, and he had served periods in custody as a result.
Ms Goldie said Cook-Long had managed to get clean when she moved away from Toowoomba to Brisbane where she started a law degree, joined a band and started a photography business.
The court was told Cook-Long relapsed into drug use after she was allegedly assaulted and had been self-medicating with drugs including MDMA and methylamphetamine as a result.
Gimm’s barrister Scott Lynch said his client was working to straighten his life out, and was living with family that had a “noticeable impact” on his attitude.
Justice Peter Callaghan said while there was no evidence of a commercial aspect to the offence, there needed to be personal deterrence in the sentence.
Cook-Long was handed a two year, three month probation order with 120 hours community service. No conviction was recorded.
Gimm was sentenced to 18 months probation, and a conviction was recorded.