Brianna Costigan: Jason Costigan’s daughter drug supply charges dismissed over mental health
The daughter of a prominent politician was busted selling bags of cocaine to an undercover cop in her polka-dot dressing gown. Find out why the charges were dismissed.
Central Sydney
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The daughter of a prominent Queensland politician who sold bags of cocaine to an undercover cop in her polka-dot dressing gown has successfully had her criminal charges dismissed on mental health grounds.
Brianna Grace Costigan, the daughter of Whitsundays MP Jason Costigan, was brought down in a major police sting targeting her then-husband Ahmed Taha after selling the drugs on back-to-back weekends to an undercover police officer in Millers Point.
The law student and former Queensland youth parliament member even bragged about the quality saying “it’s the good stuff it has the rock, better than last time”, the agreed facts state.
The 20-year-old, who the court heard had a “dysfunctional upbringing” with a background of deprivation and neglect, has since moved in with a 60-year-old woman and ended her marriage with Taha. Her social media profile reveal she has launched a new legal side hustle, called Sydney Luxury Designers.
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The court heard her former husband Taha had pleaded guilty to ongoing drug supply and will be sentenced in the District Court in coming months.
The crown prosecutor agreed Costigan had a history of mental illness with diagnoses of post-traumatic stress and borderline personality disorders, but argued the drug supply charges should be dealt with by law.
Costigan’s bid to have the criminal charges dealt with on mental health grounds in the Local Court failed and she was convicted and sentenced to an 18-month community corrections order earlier this year.
Her defence barrister, in appealing the dismissal of the earlier application to dismiss the charges on mental health grounds, said the safety of the community would be better supported and proposed a stringent mental health plan including drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs, counselling and prescribed medication for six months.
Judge Dina Yehia said she was troubled by a court-ordered report by Community Corrections which revealed they wouldn’t monitor or provide support unless the 20-year-old woman returned to the attention of police.
The appeal was upheld by Judge Yehia, who dismissed Costigan’s charges and ordered the university law student to complete the six-month mental health plan.