Renae O’Bryan and Simon Caldwell pleaded guilty to drug trafficking in Whyalla
A former hairdresser who turned to using methamphetamine as an escape joined forces with her boyfriend to run a drug-dealing business in a country town.
Upper Spencer Gulf
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A mother whose life spiralled out of control will learn later this month if her loyalty to her boyfriend’s illegal hustle will end in jail.
Renae Elma O’Bryan, 34, turned to using methamphetamine as an escape and joined forces to sell the product with her partner, Simon Caldwell.
The Adelaide District Court heard police found over 7g of methamphetamine at Whyalla Norrie in October 2020.
Georgina Nicholson, for the prosecution, told the court Caldwell was the main player in the drug dealing business and O’Bryan assisted him by receiving and responding to inquiries for sales.
“The accused did not stand to directly profit from the sale of methamphetamine, although she indirectly benefited as she was the domestic partner of Mr Caldwell and he derived an income from the sale of methamphetamine,” Ms Nicholson said.
The Whyalla mother-of-two pleaded guilty to drug trafficking.
Raffaele Piccolo, for O’Bryan, said O’Bryan was a qualified hairdresser and had previously owned her own salon in Gawler which wasn’t successful.
Mr Piccolo told the court O’Bryan’s former partner, who was the father of her two sons, came back into their life in 2016/17.
However, he ended up taking the boys from O’Bryan and relocated to Victoria with them.
“As time went on she became more depressed, more anxious about the situation,” Mr Piccolo said.
“In her own words, she effectively gave up caring about life.”
Mr Piccolo said O’Bryan then turned to methamphetamine as an escape.
The court heard O’Bryan, who now has custody of her sons, had stopped using methamphetamine and was undertaking a nail technician course.
Mr Piccolo asked the court to suspend any jail sentence, due to O’Bryan’s remorse and rehabilitation efforts.
Judge Press will sentence Caldwell, who also pleaded guilty to drug trafficking, and O’Bryan later this month.
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