Candice Murray-Feuerring sentenced for cultivating a commercial quantity of cannabis
A former Greater Geelong council officer has been sentenced, after police found more a haul of more than 50kg of cannabis, including 49 plants, at her rural home.
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A former council officer has avoided jail, after police found more than 50kg of cannabis at her rural home.
Candice Murray-Feuerring, 43, fronted the County Court at Geelong on Tuesday, having earlier pleaded guilty to cultivating a commercial quantity of cannabis.
Police raided her Teesdale home on March 7, 2024, finding 49 plants and some loose cannabis in various jars – the total weight of the haul was 51.31kg.
Cultivating a commercial quantity of a narcotic plant is a category two offence, meaning a jail sentence must be imposed – unless exceptional circumstances can be made out.
Judge Gerard Mullaly placed the mother of four on a two-year community corrections order (CCO), after finding her circumstances warranted a non-custodial sentence.
While Murray-Feuerring’s crop included a hydroponic set up that showed a degree of sophistication, Judge Mullaly said, it was “far from the typical grow house” and not at the same level as cannabis growers who had converted “whole houses and factories” solely to cultivate the drug.
Although it was not disputed Murray-Feuerring had cultivated a commercial quantity, Judge Mullaly noted there was a degree of “imprecision” to the offence, given it was made out using the whole weight of the crop, not just what could be sold as was the case with other drugs.
He noted it was a “mere product of happenstance” that the police raided Murray-Feuerring’s home when they did, and found the plants at the maturity they were.
Had the raid occurred earlier, the amount may have been less.
Judge Mullaly found the gravity of Murray-Feuerring’s offending, and her moral culpability, were at the lowest end of the scale, given she was not motivated by greed and commercial purposes, such as “to make as much money as possible”.
Instead, she had been using the drug to self-medicate, the court heard, having suffered lifelong ill-health stemming from Nail-patella syndrome, a rare, hereditary disorder.
Murray-Feuerring had battled the disorder during a troubled and difficult upbringing, the court heard, which she had overcome in pursuing a university education and a successful career in local government.
The charges, and resulting publicity, have resulted in extra-curial punishment and the loss of Murray-Feuerring’s career and well-paying job at City Hall, the court heard.
She had relocated and the family settled, but with four young children – the youngest being an infant – the added weight of prison would be “considerable”, given her partner cannot provide full-time care.
One character reference cited by Judge Mullaly described Murray-Feuerring, who has no criminal record, as responsible and hardworking, and a “wonderful” mother to her four children, the court heard.
The court heard Murray-Feuerring, who was also convicted, regretted her actions, and had since acquired a prescription for medicinal cannabis.
As part of the CCO, Murray-Feuerring must complete 150 hours of community work.
Had she pleaded not guilty and been found guilty at trial, Judge Mullaly said he would have jailed her for 18 months, with a non-parole period of nine months.
Originally published as Candice Murray-Feuerring sentenced for cultivating a commercial quantity of cannabis
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