Warwick residents sentenced in court for drug offending - full list

A Warwick man who tried to pass drugs to another prisoner while in clear view of nearby officers was just one of the residents recently sentenced in court for drug offending. SEE THE FULL LIST HERE:

A Warwick dad who didn’t let being in police custody deter him from trying to pass on meth to another person behind bars was just one of the residents recently sentenced in court for drug offending.

Beau James Fogarty was being held at the Toowoomba watch-house on June 6 following his arrest on unrelated charges several days earlier, when he was seen by officers handing a small quantity of meth to another prisoner.

Beau James Fogarty, 28, pleaded guilty in Warwick Magistrates Court to possessing and supplying meth. Picture: social media

Defence lawyer Amber Acreman told Warwick Magistrates Court that her client had been exposed to violence and substance abuse at home from an early age and began using ice himself when he was 14 years old, with his drug use fuelling much of his significant criminal history.

She said Fogarty’s full-time release date was currently set at August 24, and that his 61 days in pre-sentence custody had enabled him to get clean for the first time in years and find a “new lease on life” working in the jail kitchens.

Magistrate Virginia Sturgess acknowledged the 28-year-old’s attempts at progress, but said his history of drug offending made it clear that he would need to work hard to stay on the straight and narrow.

“I’m not naive, I know that drugs find their way into prisons, so it isn’t necessarily the place to be to try and keep off drugs,” she said.

Fogarty pleaded guilty to one count each of supplying dangerous drugs and possessing dangerous drugs, and several other unrelated charges.

He was sentenced to nine months’ jail with immediate eligibility for parole.

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A grandfather of five busted with a homegrown drug stash when police raided his Junabee home has faced court.

Officers searched Ian Baron Francis’ Roona Rd home on May 19, with the 64-year-old immediately directing police to the two 1.5m-tall marijuana plants growing at the back of his property.

Police prosecutor Andrew Grafton told the Warwick court that Francis also had a small amount of marijuana and a bong, which he told officers at the scene were all for his personal use to address mental health concerns.

Defence lawyer Phillip Crook said his client had since obtained a medicinal marijuana prescription to treat his bipolar disorder, and no longer needed to grow or purchase the drug illegally.

Francis pleaded guilty to one count each of producing dangerous drugs, possessing dangerous drugs, and possessing drug utensils.

He was fined $650.

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Moving in with his girlfriend and her mother in Warwick without getting rid of his drug supply first landed Phillip Ian Johns in court.

Police prosecutor Andrew Grafton said Johns’ partner’s mother found 2.9g of marijuana among the man’s belongings at their Fitzroy St home, and handed it in at the police station later that day because she “didn’t want drugs in her home”.

Johns went to the station himself two days later and claimed the marijuana as his, saying it was quite old and had just been caught up with his things when he moved to town.

The Warwick court heard he had previous convictions for drug-related offending in 2019 and 2015.

Johns pleaded guilty to one count of possessing dangerous drugs and was fined $250.

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No conviction recorded

A Warwick woman was busted carrying meth when she left the purse holding her personal stash in a public park.

A member of the public came across the bag belonging to Elouise Stacey Close in Leslie Park on April 28, and handed in the purse in an attempt to return it to its owner.

It was while police were searching the purse for identification that they also discovered two clipseal bags with a small quantity of meth inside, which Close later admitted to owning.

Defence lawyer Hamish Chapman said the 19-year-old had been dealing with mental health issues including ADHD and bipolar at the time, but had since started taking medication and was focused on getting her life back on track.

Close pleaded guilty to one count of possessing dangerous drugs and other unrelated charges.

She was fined $600 and no conviction was recorded.

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An attempt to throw off a police investigation into the drug utensils found in her car after she crashed while drug driving earnt a former Warwick mum a hefty fine in court.

Vanessa Louise Svoboda and an unnamed male person were in a car that rolled on the Cunningham Highway at Marvyale on May 10, with later testing showing Svoboda had meth in her system while behind the wheel.

The 39-year-old would not tell police at the scene what she had consumed or how, and was taken back to the Warwick watch-house after drug utensils such as needles and scales were found in a bag stashed inside her car.

These items were on a nearby counter as Svoboda was being released from custody later that day, and she tried to touch them several times despite being told not to as they were yet to be fingerprinted.

It wasn’t until the mother of three was walking out of the watch-house that she ran back inside and put her hands all over the drug utensils.

The court was told Svoboda was dealing with a custody battle and other mental health concerns at the time and had turned to drugs to cope with the stress, but was now working with counsellors and taking steps to address her issues.

Magistrate Virginia Sturgess labelled Svoboda’s offending a serious obstruction of police and their duties, as she had rendered the evidence worthless and left investigating officers unable to charge anyone with possessing the utensils.

“Reading between the lines, it seems your intention – as foolish as it was – was perhaps to try and take the blame by putting your fingerprints all over them, rather than the person you were with,” she said.

Svoboda pleaded guilty to one count each of drug driving and obstructing police.

She was fined $600 in addition to the $551 ticket she was given on the day, and disqualified from driving for one month.

No conviction was recorded.