Convicted ice dealer to serve sentence in community

An ice addict who was charged with supplying the drug to fund his own habit has been spared a jail sentence in court.

Court generic, Lady Justice statue

A SOUTH Grafton man avoided a prison sentence when he faced Grafton District Court after pleading guilty to two charges of supplying methylamphetamine on an ongoing basis.

During the sentencing Judge Clive Jeffreys read to the court the facts in the matter, which detailed that Jason Wayne O’Driscoll was lawfully recorded by strike force detectives who were investigating a separate matter when it was discovered the 40-year-old supplied 3.34g of methylamphetamine in seven transactions to associates from March 7 to March 21 last year before he was arrested and charged.

While on bail, the court heard O’Driscoll then resumed supplying ice and went on to sell another 3.35g between June 26 and July 7 before he was arrested on August 8 when his South Grafton property was searched as part of a series of co-ordinated raids by officers from Coffs/Clarence Police District, with assistance from operational support units.

At sentencing, Judge Jeffreys also took into account further offences of recklessly dealing with proceeds of crime, supplying 6.71g of methylamphetamine and 2.16g of marijuana.

“The offences of ongoing supply of a prohibited drug are objectively serious,” Judge Jeffreys said.

“It leads to other forms of crime, and the harm done to the community both directly and indirectly by these offences needs to be considered.”

Judge Jeffreys acknowledged O’Driscoll was involved in the business of supplying methylamphetamine but noted the level of sophistication was low and that he was a “street level dealer”.

The judge told the court he was satisfied that at the time of the offences O’Driscoll was a “user and abuser” of methylamphetamine which led him to dealing the drug in order to gain funds to pay for his addiction.

Noting O’Driscoll’s contrition for the offences, his reasonable prospects for rehabilitation and efforts to stay drug free since his arrest, as well as the eight months O’Driscoll spent in custody on remand until he was granted bail for the offences, Judge Jeffreys imposed a community corrections order for two years.

Originally published as