Andrew John Fraser, cocaine courier and dealer ‘might die’ if sent to jail
A Lower Mitcham businessman, who couriered nearly a kilo of cocaine and dealt to his friends, might die because of poor medical treatment if he’s sent to jail, his lawyer has claimed.
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A cocaine dealing and couriering businessman might die if he is sent to jail, a court has heard.
Andrew John Fraser, of Lower Mitcham, was unlikely to get the psychological and medical treatment he needs in prison, barrister Sam Abbott QC told the District Court on Tuesday.
Fraser, 47, has pleaded guilty to three counts of drug trafficking.
The court last month heard that Fraser – who once consumed as much as $1500 worth of cocaine a week – collected nearly a kilogram of cocaine and an unknown amount of methamphetamine in November 2016 before delivering them to a friend.
The pair broke down the cocaine into smaller packages and consumed some of the drug themselves, the court heard.
Fraser has also admitted to supplying 3.54g of cocaine to another friend.
He runs successful painting business FFD Painting Services.
Mr Abbott said Fraser suffered mental and physical health problems as a result of complications with surgery earlier this year and a serious work-related injury.
He said Fraser was “at risk of death” if imprisoned because he required twice-daily self-administered injections of a drug that prevents deep vein thrombosis, which he would not be able to administer in his cell.
Mr Abbott said it would require Fraser to be escorted elsewhere twice a day for treatment.
“It would be a very large pull on resources and Your Honour should … give consideration to whether that is practically going to happen,” Mr Abbott said.
“If it’s not practically going to happen, then the consequences for Mr Fraser are potentially dire.”
He also said Fraser was having “ongoing (psychological) treatment” for “the mental health problems that he suffered as a result of … his life threatening situation in hospital when he was put in an induced coma and had to be reopened for further surgery on his abdomen”.
He said there was “no indication” his treatment could be replicated in prison.
Prosecutor Emma Townsend said, according to an SA Health report provided to the court, it was “clearly the case that all of the defendant’s medical issues can be well treated within the prison health system”.
“There is no specific hardship that Mr Fraser would have to endure were Your Honour to imprison him and that all of his medical issues as the report indicates, can be dealt with to the level of community equivalence within the health system,” Ms Townsend said.
Judge Sophie David asked for clarification from SA Health as to whether Fraser would be able to have his regular injections in jail.
He will be sentenced next week.