37 cannabis plants found in home of Mount Duneed man and his school principal wife

A Mount Duneed man has been busted with 37 cannabis plants that weighed around 110kg in a home he shared with his school principal wife.

Ian Gunnell pleaded guilty to trafficking cannabis in the County Court of Victoria.

The husband of an East Geelong school principal has pleaded guilty to selling cannabis out of their family home.

Ian Bruce Gunnell, 55, was caught with 37 cannabis plants on a rural property he shared with his two daughters and wife Fiona Dawson, the former principal of East Geelong’s St Margaret’s Primary School.

The stay-at-home dad entered the guilty plea to cultivating and trafficking in the narcotic plants in the County Court on Monday.

Police executed a search of the Surf Coast Highway property earlier this year and found 12 juvenile plants in a hydroponic set-up in the laundry of the home, four in pot plants outside of the home and 21 mature cannabis plants in large portable pots in sheds.

In total, there was 110.59kg of cannabis found at the property, alongside plastic ziplock bags, drying racks, chemicals and nutrients.

There was no suggestion Ms Dawson was involved in selling the drug of dependence alongside Gunnell.

Ian Gunnell said he turned to cannabis after a health scare.

Wife Fiona Dawson pictured outside the Geelong Magistrates Court.

The court heard Gunnell turned to using cannabis to alleviate symptoms after a serious health scare four years ago but has been selling the drug since mid-January this year.

His lawyer, Jonathan Barreiro, said his client should be judged differently than those with “sophisticated enterprises” on similar charges because he is “of good character” and has no criminal history.

Mr Barreiro also defended the amount in Gunnell’s possession.

“It’s called weed for a reason … it doesn’t take much for these things to absolutely balloon in size,” Mr Barreiro.

Mr Barreiro added Ms Dawson had a “very successful teaching career” but the “circumstances have flowed onto her”.

In a letter shared to the school community last week, regional general manager Juliette Cox said Ms Dawson was the subject of a “thorough investigation” earlier this year and has now been offered a position with the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools.

“MACS is fully committed to supporting Fiona in this new role,” the letter read.

Susan Perks has been acting principal and will continue in the role for the first part of 2023.

“I hope that this gives you as a community the certainty you have been seeking,” Ms Cox wrote.

Ms Cox said a formal selection process would start in the new year.

Mr Barreiro told the court Ms Dawson was “no longer suspended in terms of her teaching registration … that has been reinstated.”

“Although, it is still the decision of the school and the parish and Catholic Education Victoria that she’s not to return to active teaching at the moment,” Mr Barreiro said.

“The consequences of what my client has done has been brought home to him in a very real way,” his lawyer said.

Mr Barreiro said “prison is not the right place” for Gunnell and asked the court to consider placing him on a community corrections order.

Judge John Smallwood said if it was just a one-off charge of trafficking, he “wouldn’t be jailing a 55-year-old man”.

“It’s the cultivation that’s the problem,” Judge Smallwood said.

The matter was adjourned to Wednesday for sentencing.

Originally published as 37 cannabis plants found in home of Mount Duneed man and his school principal wife