Ingham Magistrates Court kept busy with multiple drug-drivers

A SINGLE mother of three children thrice busted drugdriving was one of four people who appeared in the same North Queensland court on the same charge.

Ingham woman Jean Louise Sprecher, 44, pleaded guilty in the Ingham Magistrates Court on August 12 to nine charges, including driving with the presence of methamphetamine in her system on three occasions which dated back to April last year.

One of those drug-driving charges was committed on a provisional licence.

The remaining charges were three counts of possessing dangerous drugs, two counts of possessing property used in connection with committing a drug offence and one count of possession of drug utensils or pipes.

Police prosecutor Anita Page presented the court Sprecher’s history of drug-related criminal offending as well as her five-page traffic offence summary, including previous drug-driving convictions.

She urged a sentence of community service given that previous fines had not prevented her from continuing her illegal behaviour.

Defence lawyer Sarah Belford said her client lost her mother a year ago and was continuing to grapple with her loss as well as raise her children in the absence of a family support network.

She said Sprecher worked part-time cleaning homes and was studying towards gaining full-time employment in the aged, disability and community care sector.

She conceded the latest offending had gone beyond a fine and agreed that a period of community service was an appropriate sentence.

Acting Magistrate Scott Luxton noted that Sprecher had kept her nose clean for five months. She was convicted on all charges, sentenced to 120 hours of community sentence and disqualified from driving for 18 months.

JASON BURNS

JASON Arthur Burns pleaded guilty to the sole charge of driving on a probationary licence with a relevant drug in his system on Mcilwraith St, Ingham, on May 22.

Ms Page said Burns was stopped by Ingham police for a roadside-drug test at 6pm, and admitted being a regular user of cannabis. He was convicted, fined $450 and disqualified from driving for one month.

SCOTT WILLETT

SCOTT Lindsay Willett appeared in Ingham Magistrates Court charged with driving with both cannabis and methamphetamine in his system.

Willett pleaded guilty to the sole charge of drug-driving on Tully St, Ingham, on June 18.

Willett was convicted, fined $1000 and disqualified from driving for four months.

TAYLOR HEDLEY

TAYLOR Mark Hedley pleaded guilty to drug-driving, possession of 0.4g of the dangerous drug methamphetamine and possession of a pipe.

Hedley was convicted of drug-driving, fined $1000 and disqualified from driving for three months.