Matthew Peter Dempsey pleads guilty to aggravated meth possession

A father of three with a successful business made the worst decision of his life when he decided to ‘recreationally’ try meth. Now he’s in and out of jail. DETAILS.

Mackay region father of three Matthew Peter Dempsey pleads guilty to aggravated meth possession.

A wannabe drug dealer had been released from jail for less than four months when he was busted with a large stash of meth.

Father of three Matthew Peter Dempsey, who was a qualified tradie with a successful business, made the worst decision of his life when he recreationally tried methylamphetamines.

Now he has spent the past 18 months in and out of jail as he continues to commit serious drug crimes.

In fact Dempsey had only been out on parole for about three months and two weeks when police raided a West Mackay home on October 27, 2023 and uncovered 15.95g of a crystal substance containing 9.7g pure methylamphetamines.

The amount was consistent with half an ounce and had a street value of $2500 to $8500.

Mackay Supreme Court heard it was accepted there was a commercial purpose for the drugs, but that some were for his personal use.

Dempsey pleaded guilty to aggravated drug possession.

The court heard he spent 383 days in presentence custody for serious meth offending, dealt with in the supreme court in 2023 when he was jailed for 2.5 years with an immediate release.

Justice Graeme Crow, who was the sentencing judge, told Dempsey he had hoped the father of three would “turn his back on drugs” after his release.

Father of three Matthew Peter Dempsey pleaded guilty in Mackay Supreme Court to aggravated meth possession.

Justice Crow said Dempsey’s criminal history spoke of a man with significant drug issues.

“If you keep doing the same thing you’re going to keep going back to jail and the sentences … will get longer,” he said, warning Dempsey this was “very serious offending” with a maximum penalty of 25 years jail.

The court heard Dempsey had a good work history before joining the drug scene and Justice Crow accepted he had “done some good things when you’re not using drugs”.

He had been a qualified tradie, a roofer with a “successful” business before he made the mistake of “recreationally trying meth”.

“One of the most seriously addictive drugs in our society,” Justice Crow said.

As a result he fell into addiction, his relationship broke down and his “life fell to pieces”.

The court heard he wanted to move away from the Sarina areas and where drug associates live.

For the most recent offending Dempsey has spent 222 days in pre sentence custody.

He was jailed for 2.5 years jailed with immediate parole eligibility. A conviction was recorded.