Bateau Bay heroin dealer Greg Boyd gives evidence of ongoing drug use
Heroin has been a part of Greg Boyd’s life for the past 46 years, a court heard this week as the patriarch of a Central Coast heroin ring gave evidence.
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The Bateau Bay heroin dealer facing a “significant” jail sentence has told a court he became a heroin addict at the age of 19.
Gregory Stuart Boyd was back in Gosford District Court this week for sentencing submissions and took to the stand to explain his 46-year history with heroin.
Earlier this year, Mr Boyd pleaded guilty to two counts of supplying heroin on an ongoing basis between November 6, 2018 and January 9, 2019 – involving 158 transactions and 105.2 grams of heroin.
Mr Boyd gave evidence via video link of his continual drug use which started when he was in school.
“I started smoking pot when I was at school and using heroin at 19,” he told the court.
“When I first started using it, it just consumed me for quite a while.
“Having a family sort of pulled me out of it and raising my children. I always felt guilty for what I did and tried to make up for it in other ways. I tried to do the right thing by them.”
Mr Boyd said as his children got older, he “fell off the track again”.
The court heard Mr Boyd’s first wife died in 1993 when he was previously in jail and he remarried in 2010. He said he had a period of “staying straight” and started using again – “a couple of grams a day” – in October 2018 when his wife was seriously ill.
He said he was still using heroin on the day he was arrested.
“It was only a small amount. I was trying to stop,” he said.
When questioned about the significant drug deliveries he was making, he said “I wouldn’t say significant deliveries, it was only a couple of grams a day. That’s not significant.”
Since being in jail Mr Boyd said he had been heroin free.
“Since being in here I have found I have had to do it … I can do it,” he said.
“I think maybe now I can have other interests when I get out. My grandkids are a big part of my life.”
The 65-year-old was among eight people arrested in January last year as part of six simultaneous raids across the Central Coast.
An agreed set of facts stated he and another man would source the heroin from Sydney and Mr Boyd would drive around with “a mouth full of deals” which he would swallow if stopped by police.
His defence indicated his supply activities were motivated by his personal addiction and he was only supplying small quantities of the drug.
The court heard when Mr Boyd was sick or not available to carry out his deliveries, he would involve members of his family.
The court also heard that outside his 13 person customer base, Mr Boyd was not looking to expand his supply activity.
The Crown prosecutor stated his actions were “serious and significant criminality” with Mr Boyd making calls to customers in the mornings and afternoons, agreeing to meet at various locations across the Central Coast.
The Crown argued that no penalty other than a full time custodial sentence was appropriate due to community protection and general deterrence.
Judge Tanya Bright indicated the sentence was likely to be “significant”.
Along with the charges of supply, Judge Bright will also take into consideration charges of knowingly directing activities of a criminal group and dealing with proceeds of crime to the value of $4000.
Mr Boyd, who has a criminal history of supply and possession charges, will be sentenced on June 30.