Hamish Christopher Francourt sentenced at Coffs Harbour court for coke, MDMA supply
A young Coffs Harbour plumber’s fall from grace was as spectacular as it was surprising after he was caught in a covert police operation designed to disrupt the street supply of drugs.
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A young tradie driven by a condition to please others has learned his fate after being taken down in a special police operation aimed at cracking the cocaine supply chain in Coffs Harbour.
Hamish Christopher Francourt, 20, appeared for sentence at Coffs Harbour Local Court on Wednesday after pleading guilty to one count of supplying a prohibited drug (4g of cocaine) and supplying an indictable quantity of a prohibited drug (14g of MDMA).
The court heard Francourt was a cleanskin — having never been in trouble with the law until he came to the attention of Strike Force Dares in a police phone tap.
The covert operation — formed last May with the brief of disrupting the local coke supply network — intercepted the phone of another man identified as one of its initial targets.
Officers recorded calls between him and Francourt on June 25.
Francourt was overheard saying: “Can I get some more rack?” and “f**k deadset I’ll literally pay whatever”, according to court documents.
He also asked whether the man had any cocaine not bulked out with cutting agent: “Have you got any straight s**t still?”.
“Oh c**t, I need more rack,” he said.
Francourt made admissions during the conversation to supplying 4g of coke, according to court documents.
Police claim Francourt later sought to obtain MDMA from an associate in Sydney.
On October 15, Francourt, his local Coffs Harbour contact and the man in Sydney were involved in a number of phone calls, court documents state.
They arranged to meet underneath the BCC Cinemas on Bray St, but the car park was too busy so the location was changed to the Diggers Beach car park.
Police allege in documents Francourt obtained half an ounce of MDMA from the two men.
On October 27, Francourt attended Coffs Harbour Police Station where he was arrested.
Francourt’s lawyer, barrister Peter Davies, told the court his client was an apprentice plumber at the time of the offending — but now fully qualified — and had completed the MERIT (Magistrates Early Referral Into Treatment) program with “flying colours”.
Mr Davies said a psychological report found Francourt had the problem solving skills equivalent to a 14-year-old and that it was “hard for him to say no to people”.
He said his client’s offending was out of character, and that he enjoyed strong family support.
Police prosecutor David Sams noted Francourt had no criminal history “whatsoever”, but MDMA was a drug that was “problematic” in Coffs Harbour.
Magistrate Theresa Hamilton said the facts indicated Francourt was supplying drugs to “persons known to him”.
“He was not dealing as it were to all and sundry,” she said.
Ms Hamilton said Francourt had a condition which “makes him want to please others”, and noted strong character references on his behalf and that “he has rehabilitated his own drug addiction”.
On the charge of supply prohibited drug greater than small and less than indictable quantity he was convicted and sentenced to an eight-month intensive correction order.
On the charge of supply prohibited drug indictable quantity, he was sentenced to a 12-month intensive correction order and is to perform 100 hours of community service.
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