Jesseka Edmunds sentenced in Rockhampton Supreme Court after drugs found in Shoal Point home

She’d only been living with her brother a few months, but knowing about his drug stash landed a young mum in hot water. Here’s what happened in court.

A young mum has been hit with a suspended jail term after accessing a drug hiding spot at her brother’s home landed her in hot water.

Jesseka Edmunds, 29, pleaded guilty in Rockhampton Supreme Court on July 27 to possessing marijuana and possessing more than 2g of ice.

Edmunds appeared in court via videolink from the Cairns Courthouse.

The court heard Edmunds had moved into her half brother’s house at Shoal Point, near Mackay, after being offered a place to stay while in the grips of a housing crisis.

In March 2020, police raided the home where they found a large amount of drugs belonging to Edmunds’ half brother.

The court heard Edmunds’ brother was being investigated by police at the time for drug offences.

During the search police found cryovaced bags of ice hidden under the stove and a small amount of marijuana in Edmunds’ room.

Edmunds told police the ice did not belong to her, but phone data revealed she had accessed the spot the drugs were hiding in.

Edmunds’ brother Reece William Luscombe was jailed after pleading guilty in the Mackay Supreme Court in March to a number of offences including drug trafficking.

Edmunds was prosecuted on the basis she knew of the existence of the drugs, but it was accepted she didn’t know how much was there.

Her barrister, Scott McLennan, told the court Edmunds had a “grossly prejudicial” childhood and had her first bong handed to her as a teenager by her mother.

Mr McLennan said despite that, Edmunds had a good work history and had been a single mother since her daughter was born.

He said she was also expecting her second child.

Mr McLennan told the court that before moving in with her half-brother, Edmunds was in a “housing crisis” and “accepted help from the one family member” who offered it to her.

He said she suspected the drugs were there but didn’t know how much was in the house.

Justice Graeme Crow took into account Edmunds’ plea of guilty and accepted the drugs did not belong to her.

He described the offending as “unusual”.

He also accepted Edmunds did not know how many drugs were contained in the spot they were hidden.

Justice Crow told Edmunds she should have left the home as soon as she was suspicious of the drugs being there.

Edmunds was sentenced to imprisonment for one year which was wholly suspended for an operational period of two years.