Mum-of-three Sarah Elizabeth King faces Ipswich court for smuggling drugs to Borallon boyfriend
A mum-of-three broke down in an Ipswich court after facing charges for a desperate act to help her jailbird boyfriend.
Police & Courts
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An Ipswich court has heard how a Moreton mum followed mysterious instructions to smuggle drugs to her jailbird boyfriend out of fear he might suffer consequences if she refused.
Kallangur mum-of-three Sarah Elizabeth King, 34, pleaded guilty in Ipswich District Court on Tuesday, November 7 to supplying a schedule two dangerous drug (buprenorphine) into a correctional facility.
The court heard King supplied a package containing 365 suboxone strips to her now ex-boyfriend on January 28, 2023.
He was an inmate at Borallon Correctional Centre at the time.
Crown prosecutor Connor Lovett said King visited her boyfriend on the day in question and passed the package to him during a hug.
But correctional centre staff noticed the transaction and searched the boyfriend, uncovering the package.
Mr Lovett noted King had voluntarily participated in an interview with police later that day and admitted to the offending.
The court heard King was fearful of what would happen to her boyfriend if she did not bring him the drugs.
She had received instructions from two people she did not know who gave her the package, on January 27.
Judge Dennis Lynch said there was no evidence King packaged the drugs herself or knew the quantity of the drugs inside.
Mr Lovett said King had exposed herself to a real risk of jail time because of the “significant quantity” of drugs.
But Judge Lynch said he wasn’t convinced the 365 suboxone strips was that significant, considering they had been cut up into smaller amounts.
The court heard King had no previous criminal history but had been fined on one occasion since the jail smuggling for possessing a drug utensil, which she said belonged to her friend.
Defence barrister Emma Thorsen said the mother-of-three struggled with her mental health and the loss of her home in the months leading up to the offending.
She said King had since split up with her boyfriend and obtained a mental healthcare plan.
She cried as Judge Lynch told her he would not be sending her to jail.
He said he accepted she had acted out of concern for her then-boyfriend and that he did not believe she posed a significant risk of reoffending.
But he said it was important to deter others from similar behaviour.
“It’s a serious offence because it undermines the state of discipline within a correctional facility and also has the potential to undermine efforts towards rehabilitation,” Judge Lynch explained.
He sentenced King to six months’ jail, wholly suspended for 12 months.
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