Tara Harding, Omar El-Nachar allegedly busted with meth, cocaine in Palmerston home
A Darwin judge has called a childcare centre manager’s claims ‘fanciful’ after police allegedly busted a commercial quantity of drugs in her walk-in wardrobe.
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A Top End childcare centre manager claims she was unaware of her husband’s stash of meth and cocaine in their shared walk-in wardrobe, a court has heard.
Tara Eva Harding and her partner Omar El-Nachar appeared in Darwin Local Court on Monday after police allegedly uncovered a commercial quantity of drugs at their Palmerston home on July 7.
The husband and wife duo were charged with six offences including supplying and possessing a commercial quantity of drugs, possessing items to administer drugs, and possessing property in the commission of an offence.
Their barrister Peter Maley said while El-Nachar was likely to make a negotiated guilty plea, his wife would be fighting the allegations against her.
Mr Maley said the 31-year-old woman had claimed she did not know a commercial stash of drugs was hidden in the safe in their shared walk-in wardrobe.
This was despite Mr Maley acknowledging the police allegations that there was “drug paraphernalia scattered about the house”.
“She’s had nothing to do with this behaviour,” he said.
However, Judge John Neill said this was a “fanciful” argument, given that she — and her eight-year-old nephew — were living in the same home with the meth and cocaine.
During her bail application, Mr Neill raised concerns she would be able to keep her job given the “extremely serious charges” facing the early childhood educator.
Mr Maley told the court she had a clean criminal history, but prosecutors said there were old driving charges from New South Wales.
The court heard that despite Harding and her husband being born in Sydney, she was not considered a flight risk.
Mr Neill set a $5000 bond for her bail, which will require her to meet a strict curfew, regularly check in with police and take drug tests.
But Mr Maley briefly tried to fight one condition of her bail, which barred her from contacting her husband turned co-accused.
He argued that since El-Nachar was on remand in prison any conversations would be recorded, so she should be allowed to talk to him for “emotional support”.
“This is extremely serious commercial possession and supply of methamphetamines and cocaine,” Mr Neill replied.
“(We need) a barrier between communications with them while this is sorted out.”
Four of her loved ones watched from the court gallery, with Harding’s aunt shedding tears as her niece sat behind the security screen flanked with guards.
Mr Maley said her aunt and family were ready of support Harding while she was out on bail.
Indeed, when the 31-year-old left the courthouse her relatives shielded her from cameras, covering her head with a bright pink sweater.
“I can’t see,” Harding said as she was bundled out of the Darwin court to a waiting car.
Both Harding and El-Nachar are expected to return to court on August 30 for a preliminary examination mention.
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Originally published as Tara Harding, Omar El-Nachar allegedly busted with meth, cocaine in Palmerston home
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