Frances Gilmore Crouch: GoFundMe raises funds for terminally-ill drug trafficker

A 57-year-old Queensland woman turned to trafficking opioids, benzos and cannabis after her husband’s death, a court has heard, but in a further twist her family has started a GoFundMe, find out why.

A terminally-ill and widowed Beaudesert woman who discovered her late husband had left her with an insurmountable debt turned to drug trafficking to pay the bills, the Beaudesert District Court heard on Thursday.

Frances Gilmore Crouch, 57, pleaded guilty to six charges including trafficking dangerous drugs, supplying schedule 2 dangerous drugs and possessing more than 500 grams of schedule 2 dangerous drugs.

The court heard Crouch trafficked Oxycodone, Morphine, Nitrazepam (a type of benzodiazepine drug) and cannabis through Beaudesert for five months, between April 14, 2019 and September 4, 2019.

Frances Gilmore Crouch was sentenced to prison for drug trafficking.

A police search of her home and her mobile phone revealed Crouch was a “street level supplier” who had about 55 customers to whom she sold between 1 and 7 grams of drugs on each occasion.

According to crown prosecutor Amalia Baker-Smith, Crouch refilled her stock every one to three days, depending on the number of orders, and when her main supplier was arrested, continued to operate by finding new sources and warning customers of the potential risk.

Police further located Crouch’s “tick book list” with 45 names, 765g of cannabis hidden in clip seal bags and vacuum bags and a single bullet.

Ms Baker-Smith said Crouch dealt drugs to both support her own drug habit and for financial benefit.

Defence counsel Philippa Zande told the court her client had been with her husband for many years and was taken aback when, upon his death, she realised the extent of his drug use and “extreme” debt.

“She had been struggling financially and sought to try (dealing drugs) to pay some of his debts,” Ms Zande said.

“She was embarrassed.”

Ms Zande further said Crouch no longer used any illicit drugs, as evidenced by several clean drug tests tendered to the court, and has not reoffended in the almost two years since her arrest.

Crouch has since been diagnosed with cervical cancer, has a “slim chance of recovery”, and consequently a low-likelihood of reoffending, according to her lawyer.

Her daughter, Christine Crouch, organised a GoFundMe on Wednesday to “help (Crouch) through this time and make every day a time to remember”.

“Her cancer is very aggressive and has spread to the liver, lungs and lymph nodes,” Christine said.

“They told us (it) is now incurable and shattered our hearts.

“I have set up this (fund) to help my mum out and relieve some financial stress.”

Nine people have donated to the GoFundMe, raising $320 of the $2000 goal.

Crouch was sentenced to two and a half years imprisonment with immediate parole release.