Doctor beats jail time for drug offences

A former methamphetamine addict doctor has escaped jail time over drug offences because of her responsibilities as a new mother.

A BRISBANE doctor has managed to escape jail over drug offences for the second time in as many years, with the Judge granting her leniency because of her duties as a single mother to a four-month-old daughter.

Rebecca Jane Ianniello, 34, wiped tears from her eyes today after receiving her sentence of two years jail with immediate parole for a string of drug offences.

Rebecca Ianniello leaves the Brisbane Supreme Court in Brisbane. Picture: AAP Image/Jono Searle

A police raid on Ms Ianniello’s Brisbane CBD hotel room uncovered around 4.5g of pure methamphetamine and over $20,000 cash in November 2017.

The suspended medical practitioner was arraigned in June this year after pleading guilty to possessing more than 2g of a dangerous drug, another drug possession charge, possessing a relevant substance and possessing a thing relevant to drug possession.

Ms Ianniello was already on parole when she faced court today, after being sentenced to 18 months jail but immediately paroled in September last year for being caught with more than 30g of methamphetamine in 2016.

Justice Thomas Bradley told the court in other circumstances, a jail term of 2.5 years would be appropriate for the kind of offences Ms Ianniello committed, but granted her immediate parole because of her “particular situation.”

“Part of the role of the sentencing today is to make a plan to get your life back on track and make the orders that will hopefully help your rehabilitation,” he said.

Justice Bradley also said Ms Ianniello showed promising signs of rehabilitation and that her responsibilities as a mother ought to give her “the appropriate motive to pursue that.”

He also warned the new mother and former methamphetamine addict of the dangers of slipping back into drug addiction, saying drugs can “put a very young child at mortal risk.”

As a part of her parole conditions, Ms Ianniello must receive regular psychiatric treatment for a number of diagnosed conditions including depression, anxiety and multiple personality disorder.