Andrew John Landers pleads guilty in Roma District Court to supplying dangerous drugs

A Roma drug dealer with a decade-long criminal history has told a judge his mother’s cancer diagnosis led to him ‘spiralling’.

Andrew John Landers, 32, pleaded guilty in Roma District Court to two counts of supplying dangerous drugs.

A Roma drug dealer with a stellar employment history has requested the court not record his conviction despite his decade-long offending.

Andrew John Landers, 32, pleaded guilty in Roma District Court to two counts of supplying dangerous drugs.

The court was told Lander was arrested in November 2020 after police seized his phone during a search and found incriminating text messages between himself and a customer.

Crown prosecutor Ashleigh Wakefield said while the offending was “towards the lower end”, they submitted a forfeiture order to the court requesting police continue to hold onto the defendant’s phone.

Landers was previously handed a probation and community service order for committing assault occasioning bodily harm back in 2019, however he only completed half an hour of the required 40 hours.

He also breached the probation order by failing to report on three occasions.

That order was ultimately revoked in 2020 and he was resentenced and fined $1500.

Ms Wakefiled said despite the prior breaches three years ago, she said quite some time had passed since then and the Crown was willing to give him another chance.

Defence barrister D. Taylor said while his client was currently unemployed, he formerly worked as a cultural heritage officer for Origin Energy and for the Mandandanji Native Title Claim group where he was subcontracted by the Maranoa Regional Council.

“These offences are towards the lower end in seriousness,” Mr Taylor said.

“No actual drugs were found or located during the search.

“The defendant voluntarily attended the police station and offered a statement.

“He comes from a large but very tight knit family, he’s clearly close with his mother who was a community leader, elder and committee (member).

“She was regrettably diagnosed with cancer in 2012… it was long lasting and she passed away in 2018.

“My client had a very close relationship with his mother, the diagnosis and then the remission later in her life correlates with times of spiralling.

“He tells me that it was around his mother’s first diagnosis that he was introduced to drugs.”

Mr Taylor told the court the assault occasioning bodily harm charge occurred immediately after his mother’s death.

“On his 30th birthday, which was after his mother passed away, he was emotional. Someone referred to him as a racial slur.

“He has struggled with anxiety and depression for some time. Since the offence he tells me he’s seeing a psychiatrist and prescribed a new antidepressant.”

Roma Court House.

Mr Taylor said his client hadn’t committed any further offending in the past two years and recording a conviction would hinder his future employment prospects.

“Recording a conviction for these sort of drug offences is likely to have a particular detriment to his future employment, particularly if he chooses to return to the oil and gas industry,” Mr Taylor said.

He further requested the judge use his discretion to reject the mobile phone forfeiture order.

“I’m instructed what he’s particularly concerned about are voicemails on that phone from his deceased mother and photos and family events that he won’t get access to unless he has that phone,” Mr Taylor said.

“It’s a mobile phone, so it’s unlike other drug paraphernalia that obviously is used in relation to drug use. It’s not suggested that the phone itself is in any way proceeds of a drug offence.”

Judge Ken Barlow KC said it was “speculative” to claim that recording a conviction would affect Landers’ employment prospects.

“I’m sure I’ve crossed defendants in this court who have had a drug history and have since that drug history obtained employment in the mining industry,” Mr Barlow said.

“Obviously an employer needs to be satisfied they no longer use drugs.

“You have pleaded guilty to two counts of supplying a dangerous drug. What the drug is, is unknown.

“But it was clear when police seized and downloaded your phone that you had two conversations with a potential customer offering to supply a drug on two occasions within three days of each other.

“It appears to have been a known customer of yours.

“You don’t have a long criminal history... Is a combination, possession of stolen property and wilful damage and possessing dangerous drugs.

“You were convicted for a breach (2020) and that conviction was recorded, but that is the only conviction recorded against you in your criminal history.

“In your favour is the fact that your criminal history only makes it to one page over a period of ten years.

“You have a reasonable prospect of rehabilitation which I hope you grasp.”

Mr Barlow said he would give Landers the “benefit of the doubt” and give him his mobile phone back because “it’s not solely used for drug use.”

He was handed a 100 hour community service order to be completed within 12 months.

Convictions were recorded.