Matthew Michael Gould sentenced in court for possessing methamphetamine

A father, who fell back into using drugs following the breakdown of his marriage, was caught by police in Gladstone before he intended to supply another person with methamphetamine. Here’s what happened to him in court.

A father, who fell back into using drugs following the breakdown of his marriage, was caught by police in Gladstone before he intended to supply another person with methamphetamine.

Matthew Michael Gould, 28, pleaded guilty in the Rockhampton Supreme Court on July 28 to one count each of possessing a dangerous drug in excess of 2g, supplying dangerous drugs, possessing utensils or pipes that had been used, possessing anything used in the commission of crime and possessing property suspected of being the proceeds of an offence under drugs misuse act.

Crown prosecutor Millie Volck said Gould possessed 17.76g of meth, which was found when he was searched by police at the corner of Col Brown Avenue and Cania Way, Clinton, on August 23, 2021 at 11.50am.

The court heard police saw Gould pacing back and forth at the corner and looking around while wearing a black hooded jumper.

Gould attempted to cross the road before being stopped by police.

Gould told police he was stopping over in Gladstone for somewhere to sleep on his way to Brisbane and appeared to be “fidgety and shaky”.

When asked by police if he had anything on him that he shouldn’t, Gould stated he did not and was searched.

In addition to the meth, Ms Volck said police also found a glass pipe, $9270 worth of cash and a mobile phone used to supply dangerous drugs.

She said Gould was intercepted before the supply could occur and that messages on the phone revealed he intended to supply meth to an unknown person.

She argued the meth was possessed for a commercial purpose.

Defence barrister Maree Wiley said her client, who had two children and was a qualified tradesman, had abstained from drug use for a couple of years after his release from custody in 2019, where he served 37 days behind bars.

Ms Wiley said at the time of the offending her client was going through a “particularly stressful time in his life”.

The court heard Gould’s marriage had ended in 2021 and that he was having a difficult time and turned to drugs

“In the lead up to the offending you did not have any family support, you were in the process of finalising your divorce, having difficulties with your subcontracting business and made the mistake of reuniting with your old acquaintances who used drugs,” Justice Graeme Crow said.

Ms Wiley said the time her client had served in custody after being arrested for the offending had been “more onerous for him” with the restrictions in place in prison due to Covid.

“Further, my client was on remand when the riots took place in October last year,” she said.

“It was a period of about a month where the prisoners were in lockdown.”

Ms Wiley said her client had a significant amount of time to reflect while in prison and had no desire whatsoever to return to his drug use.

“He is very much focused on returning to his children, to work and his family,” she said.

Justice Crow sentenced Gould to three years prison with 339 days declared as time served and parole release on August 23.

The drug paraphernalia and other items were forfeited to the Crown.