Kathryn Merle Bishop: Lawnton grandmother fined after facing drug supply charges

A pot-selling grandmother has escaped jail time after pleading guilty to seven charges of supplying dangerous drugs.

A grandmother from Lawnton who was busted selling drugs to friends says it was used to treat “arthritis and anxiety”.

Kathryn Merle Bishop pleaded guilty to seven charges of supplying dangerous drugs in the Pine Rivers Magistrate Court on Monday.

The 58-year-old also pleaded guilty to one count of possessing anything used in the commission of crime.

The court heard Police executed a search warrant on a Lawnton address on July 10 this year with a mobile phone seized.

The court was told officers later examined the phone uncovering text messages “relating to the supply of cannabis and also pictures of cannabis”.

The police prosecutor said numerous messages were discovered in relation to the supply of cannabis including;

“Hope you enjoy your weekend, any chance you could do about 25 or a 50?”

“The defendant saying she will try and organise something and photographs of cannabis buds are contained in text messages,” the prosecutor said.

The court heard Bishop had been using cannabis due to severe arthritis and anxiety.

Her lawyer told Magistrate Annette Hennessy she was now “in the process of going through a general practitioner to obtain medicinal cannabis on a legal basis”.

The court was told the supply was related to two friends, one who also suffered from arthritis and another who suffers from depression.

Magistrate Hennessy noted the mother of two had no criminal history and imposed a fine without recording a conviction.

“Supply charges are very serious and they do carry terms of imprisonment as a maximum penalty,” Magistrate Hennessy said.

Bishop was fined $1500 with no convictions recorded.

The Repco store assistant was also given 28 days to recover family photographs from the seized phone.