Imogen Dawn Quinlan in court for supplying drugs
A young woman with an ‘utterly hopeless’ record of obeying court orders and previous convictions for being caught in stolen cars avoided jail due to a fortunate development.
Police & Courts
Don't miss out on the headlines from Police & Courts. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A young woman caught selling meth to her boyfriend has avoided jail time by the skin of her teeth after landing a spot in a rehabilitation centre,
Imogen Dawn Quinlan, 21, pleaded guilty to 18 counts of supplying dangerous drugs across an almost-eight month period between August 23, 2021, and April 16, 2022, for payments of between $50 and $400.
Seventeen of those deals were to her boyfriend at the time.
Gympie District Court was told Quinlan supplied between 0.1g and 0.5g of the drug on nine occasions.
On five other occasions she offered it, and four times took preparatory steps to supply it.
Police observed incoming drug-related messages on Quinlan’s phone as she was being processed following her arrest on a warrant for other matters.
Defence barrister Simone Bain said Quinlan had at the time been in a “coercive”, “controlling” and often verbally and emotionally abusive relationship.
The 21-year-old had left high school in Year 10, the court was told, and after working in several jobs including at a fruit and veggie shop and as a delivery driver, she wanted to move into a career in the mines.
Quinlan was supported in court by her mother, who the court heard had driven the 21-year-old from Hervey Bay for Thursday’s sentencing.
Despite Quinlan’s youth she had what the prosecution called a “not insignificant” criminal history.
It included a good behaviour bond in November 2021, at the age of 19, for possessing dangerous drugs, with no convictions recorded.
Quinlan broke the order and returned to court in November 2022 for further drug possession charges, this time being placed on probation.
Multi-million dollar shortfall: Little Haven in crisis
Judge Bernard Porter said unfortunately Quinlan’s compliance with that order was “utterly hopeless”.
This was compounded by her “very poor” traffic record.
Quinlan was sentenced in July 2023 to two counts of unlawful use of a motor vehicle, and one count each of driving without due care, possessing utensils, obstructing police, breaching bail, and contravening a probation order.
These offences included crashing one stolen car, and being a passenger in another.
She was placed on 20 months’ probation and ordered to do 100 hours of community service within 18 months.
Caverns as big as Gabba: Mind-boggling power project details revealed
Mr Porter said the only thing stopping the 21-year-old from being returned to jail - she spent 31 days in pre-sentence custody at Brisbane Women’s Correctional Centre at Wacol for her other offending - was her compliance with a year-long drug rehabilitation program she had been accepted into in March.
He sentenced Quinlan to 12 months’ jail with immediate parole.