Cairns court: Graham Parsons, former Cairns train driver convicted of drug offences for third time

A former senior Cairns Queensland Rail manager will serve a second stint in jail for drug offences, after he was busted just a month after completing his previous sentence.

A FORMER senior Cairns Queensland Rail manager had to tell his talented son it would be the last time dad watches him play sport before he returns to jail for his third drug offending conviction.

Graham Edward Parsons, 57, was convicted and sentenced for multiple counts of possession of drugs including 50g of methylamphetamine, more than 500g of cannabis, as well as possession of utensils, pipes, weapons and almost $15,000 suspected of being the proceeds of an offence, at Cairns Supreme Court on Wednesday.

Parsons had been previously convicted of possessing a dangerous drug in 2010 where he was fined $2500 and in July 2017 he was sentenced to four years jail for trafficking, of which he served 12 months.

In the months prior to his previous conviction in 2017, he was stood down by Queensland Rail from his $120,000-plus-a-year job, after spending 38 years with the organisation.

Former Queensland Rail driver Graham Parsons was stood down from his role after he was charged with drug trafficking in 2017.

Crown prosecutor Nathan Crane told the court when police busted Parsons in September last year, they reported his Mooroobool home was an “organised” one, and the drugs were located in throughout various sections of a “man cave”.

It was just one month after his parole period had ended for his four-year sentence from 2017.

Parsons’ defence barrister Martin Longhurst said despite his clients’ reoffending, he was still a “remarkable” man.

Mr Longhurst told the court following his 2017 conviction and the subsequent “public shame” Parsons suffered, he was unable to find a job when he was released from prison, so he started his own pressure cleaning business after learning the skills while in custody.

Mr Longhurst said Parsons “did not feel sorry himself” and was aware of the consequences of his recreational drug use.

“He’s always dealt with pot use, but it’s a tragic tale of how methylamphetamine just turns normal people into someone now who is going into a second stint of jail,” Mr Longhurst said.

Cairns man and former Queensland Rail head train driver Graham Parsons who was sentenced for trafficking cannabis in 2017, was again sentenced for drug offences in July 2022.

“He was successful in his (pressure cleaning) company, it was going well and then Covid hits. People are at home and they can clean their house and the need for him died down.

“So he found himself more time on his hands, more casual use, far inflated drug prices. And the opportunity arised to recoup costs (for his business).”

In his scathing sentencing remarks, Justice Henry made an additional point of reminding Parsons of the high volume of serious crimes appearing before the courts, from the past decade, that were linked to an era of high purity methylamphetamine.

“It’s had and continues to have a very grave impact on our community,” he said.

“This would be the community where all these people speak highly of you, live. This would the community where their children who risk, in due course, being presented with the temptation of illicit drugs live.

“Now don’t panic, you’re not to be sentenced as if your individually responsible for all this but it means you’ve got to get a heavy sentence from me for dabbling in methylamphetamine, so that everyone in the community, including people about the age of your son know, that it’s a wicked drug, it ruins live.”

Parsons was sentenced to three and a half years jail, eligible for parole after 14 months, on September 26, 2023.

Originally published as Cairns court: Graham Parsons, former Cairns train driver convicted of drug offences for third time