Damon Noel James Hudson gets jail sentence for drug offences
Police watched the man move a bag of marijuana from his car to his partner’s place before they swooped. Here’s what they seized.
Police & Courts
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The partner of a young mum convicted of trafficking marijuana has been given a jail sentence for possessing more than 500g of drugs on three occasions – one of those being her stash for her trafficking business.
However the man was not sentenced for any commercialty offences.
Damon Noel James Hudson, 26, pleaded guilty on May 25 in Rockhampton District Court to the three possession charges, along with some minor offences such as possessing drug utensils and contravening a police direction to provide access to information stored electronically.
Crown prosecutor Bianca Volling said police watched Hudson move a bag of marijuana on March 25, 2021, from his car to his partner Sabrina Maree Elliott’s place, and then they executed a search warrant at a Berserker residence where they located the 651g of marijuana.
Ms Volling said Elliott had been sentenced to three years’ prison for trafficking marijuana and possessing a large quantity of marijuana in November.
Hudson was given bail for this possession charge.
Ms Volling said police executed a search warrant on October 30 at Hudson’s Lower Dawson Road residence where he declared ownership of 1.058kg of marijuana in a shopping bag in the kitchen which he said he had for personal use.
She said police searched Hudson’s mother’s residence the next day, finding 1.326kg in a shopping bag in a cupboard.
Ms Volling said Hudson claimed ownership, telling police he placed it there for safe keeping and had not informed his mother the illicit drug was in her home.
Defence lawyer Scott Moon said prior to being taken into custody after the last two searches, Hudson had worked in a painter’s apprenticeship for nine months with his employer eagerly awaiting his return, as evidenced by a letter provided to the court about the employment.
Mr Moon said Hudson’s employer was aware his absence was due to being incarcerated for this offending and advised the apprenticeship had been suspended until Hudson could return to work.
Mr Moon said Hudson looked forward to returning to work and spending time with his two-year-old son he shares with Elliott - the child had been cared for by her parents while the couple had been in prison.
Judge Brian Devereaux raised concerns the letter written by the employer indicated Hudson had been drug tested while working at a big project site and passed his tests, and this was about the same time he was busted with the large quantities of drugs.
The court heard Hudson had been sentenced in February 2022 by Judge Rinaudo for an assault occasioning bodily harm and had previously been convicted in the Magistrates Court for drug-related offences.
Judge Devereaux sentenced Hudson to nine months’ prison, declared 207 days pre-sentence custody and ordered he be released on parole immediately.
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