Sarina stepdad sentenced for supplying marijuana to teen stepdaughter in Mackay Supreme Court

A Qld stepfather spent two months in custody after he supplied marijuana to his teenage stepdaughter, giving a bizarre reason to police.

A stepdad was busted by police with marijuana and drugs in a hotel room after he was found giving drugs to his 14-year-old stepdaughter and gave a bizarre reason for his offending.

A stepdad busted by police with drugs in a hotel room was giving cannabis to his 14-year-old stepdaughter and gave a bizarre reason for his offending.

Mackay Supreme Court heard the stepdad gave her cannabis at a point between May 31 and July 12, 2024 because he wanted to be “safe” when she tried it for the first time.

The girl, who had been reported missing to police, had been picked up by the stepfather from a residence in Sarina.

Police said he had then checked into a hotel in Sarina, where he was found along with the stepdaughter, cannabis, methamphetamine and a used glass pipe.

An initial charge of drug possession was later dropped, and the stepfather pleaded guilty to drug supply.

Defence barrister Scott McLennan said “it was that misguided notion was that if she was going to try it there should be an adult around”.

“He accepts now that certainly he was wrong,” Mr McLennan said.

The stepfather of a teenager gave her a reefer of marijuana to try and was sentenced in the Mackay Supreme Court.

“He completely understands having spent that time in pre-sentence custody and certainly won’t be supplying any cannabis to minors in the future.”

The court heard the stepdad’s offending was motivated by his own experience with marijuana when he was younger, when his own stepfather gave him marijuana.

Supreme Court Justice David North said often the offence of supplying drugs to minors was done to corrupt with minors, but “it’s not suggested this was the situation here”.

“You supplied a small reefer of mixed cannabis and tobacco for her to try... this occurred at your instigation,” Justice North said.

“You cooperated with police, you made full admissions.”

The court heard the stepdad had previously been convicted for obstructing a police officer and possessing a “very minor amount of drugs”.

He spent 67 days in custody from October 12, 2024 to December 17, 2024 and pleaded guilty to supplying drugs to a person under the age of 16.

“Dangerous drugs are a scourge in our community … to introduce minors to drugs is serious offending,” Justice North said.
Justice North convicted the stepfather for his supply of drugs, but chose not to further punish him and did not declare 67 days spent in custody as time served.

“You thought that your actions were consistent with a form of supervisional responsibility and seeing that she came to no harm with her experimentation,” Justice North said.
Convictions were recorded.