Brett Raymond Franklin pleads guilty to supplying ice

An Ipwich man who claims he uses illegal drugs to control pain was caught dealing ice during a police covert operation.

An Ipswich man who lost his arm in a horrific road accident and suffered ongoing ‘phantom limb’ sensations claimed he turned to drugs to help relieve the pain.

Brett Raymond Franklin, 44, from Basin Pocket, pleaded guilty in Ipswich Distrrct Court to supplying a Schedule 1 drug (ice) on October 13 last year, and possessing cannabis and drug utensils on January 7 this year.

Crown prosecutor Ms Holstein said the more serious charge before the court, supplying a dangerous drug, was detected after Franklin was identified in telephone intercepts targeting a woman for drug trafficking.

Franklin had been in contact with her when the female of interest sought five points of methylamphetamine.

Franklin supplied her with half a gram of the drug for $300.

The court heard that when police went to his home at Basin Pocket in January this year a small amount of cannabis and drug utensils were located.

Ms Holstein said Franklin admitted knowing the female.

Defence counsel Allana Davie cited pain from his “phantom limb” which he lost in a car accident as a teenager as the cause of Franklin’s sporadic use of methylamphetamine and cannabis.

The court heard Franklin was a father with adult children, and excited to have recently found employment.

Judge Alexander Horneman-Wren SC said text messages on Franklin’s phone showed him to be the middle man in the deal, who obtained then dropped off the drug.

Judge Horneman-Wren said drug offending on his criminal history spanned two decades and was sporadic, but noted it was to Franklin’s credit that he had given up using alcohol eight years ago.

Franklin was sentenced to a two-year probation order.