Shakira Debbie Stewart pleads guilty in Chinchilla Magistrates Court to six charges after police raid

A 20-year-old Tara mum has fronted court after a police raid found drugs and explosives in her home.

The mother of a two-year-old child has landed in court after police raided her Tara home and uncovered a range of illicit drugs, utensils and explosives.

Shakira Debbie Stewart pleaded guilty in Chinchilla Magistrates Court to two counts of unlawfully possessing a dangerous drug, unlawfully obtaining a medication, unlawfully possessing explosives namely ammunition, unlawfully possessing a glass pipe used in connection with smoking a dangerous drug and failing to surrender into custody at Chinchilla Magistrates Court.

Police prosecutor Chris Hutchins said on January 23 police conducted a search at Stewart’s Tara home where they uncovered various illegal drugs, drug utensils and ammunition.

Sergeant Hutchins said police located 0.33g of methamphetamine inside the home along with .22 calibre and .308 rounds of ammunition. They also uncovered the medication Proxen SR 1000 which was not obtained through legal means.

The court was told Stewart co-operated with police and handed over her car keys before admitting there was also cannabis in her car.

Police searched the car and found just under a gram of cannabis inside.

Further, Stewart was charged after failing to appear in Chinchilla Magistrates Court in March for her matters.

Defence lawyer Brad Skuse said the police raid and charges have been a wake up call for his client, especially since her toddler was inside at the time.

“She’s now abstained from the further use of illicit substances, so hopefully your honour that’s the intervention that is required,” Mr Skuse said.

“In terms of the medication, people at that time would come and go from her residence and leave behind medications - she didn’t know what they were for.

“She simply forgot her court date and didn’t receive a text reminder.”

Magistrate Kyna Morice said she acknowledged the defendant’s young age, how she has no previous history and how she fully cooperated with police.

“They’re all low level offences, but it’s just the quantity of them and the different sort of offending that raises some concern,” she said.

“You’re still very young and you’ve never been to court before. You have a very young child you take care and I’ve been told you haven’t used drugs since that occasion, so it does seem it’s had the desired effect.”

Steward was handed one $450 fine referred to SPER for the group of five offences, and convicted and not further punished for the fail to appear charge. No convictions were recorded.