Kenneth Everson sentenced for Wellington drug syndicate role

A cocaine-obsessed footy player who gave up on his NRL dreams and started living a double life as a drug dealer has been giving a glowing character reference by the captain of his footy team.

A Wellington Cowboys player who was hooked on cocaine and addicted to gambling away up to $400 a day sold ice to desperate drug users to fund his habit, a court has heard.

Kenneth James Everson was sentenced in the District Court at Dubbo on Thursday, for his role as a “trusted lieutenant” in a syndicate which facilitated then delivery of drugs from Sydney to Wellington.

Disgraced drug dealer Kenneth Everson was a player for the Wellington Cowboys Group 11 rugby league side. Picture: Facebook/Sharria Thompson

The 29-year-old’s drug dealing came to the attention of police who formed Strike Force Pinnacle to smash the syndicate responsible for flooding the streets of western NSW with illicit substances.

Judge Nanette Williams told the court Everson pleaded guilty to supplying a staggering 354 grams of methylamphetamine, known as ice, to dozens of buyers across western NSW.

Everson also pleaded guilty to participating in a criminal group after he was arrested as part of a series of high profile raids in May 2020.

Judge Williams said Everson was the brother-in-law of the syndicate’s alleged kingpin, Kyle Thompson.

“Between June 1, 2019, and May 27, 2020 he (Everson) collected cash on behalf of Thompson at times when Thompson was away from Wellington,” Judge Williams told the court.

“On a number of occasions the offender also instructed other associates of Thompson to supply drugs from his residence when the offender himself was absent from the house.”

About 12.30am on October 18, 2019, Judge Williams, said police recorded Everson receiving a drug delivery from Sydney at Thompson’s Curtis Street home.

“At that time, Thompson was away on a family holiday and his mobile phone was diverted to the service used by the offender,” she said.

“The offender agreed to meet the courier … after the meeting there were discussions between members of Thompson’s enterprise, to the effect that not enough cash had been given to the courier.”

Between June 1, 2019, and May 28, the court heard Everson dealt with $10,000 in proceeds of crime which was found at his home when he was arrested.

“At 9.22pm on August 25, 2019 the offender was recorded agreeing to supply Brianna Meizer with 0.2 grams of cocaine,” Judge Williams told the court.

“At 5pm on October 18, 2019, the offender agreed to supply 3.5 grams of heroin.”

Kenneth Everson sold more than 300 grams of ice and was hooked on cocaine. Picture: Facebook/Herb Elemes

Judge Williams said police had recorded details of various people, including those named Aidan, Jasmine, Stewart, Timmy, Corey, Brendan, Lyall, Allison, John, Herbert, David, Andrew and Matthew, who Everson had sold drugs to.

The court heard Everson was the partner of Sharria Thompson, the sister of Kyle Thompson.

Everson instructed Sharria Thompson to organise for portions of ice to be sold to various offenders, and he also questioned her about her work, the court heard.

In a botched bid to avoid detection from police, the court heard phone taps revealed Everson would talk about the sale of “footballs” and “tennis balls” to describe ice.

The court heard Everson was living on Centrelink at the time of his arrest and using poker machines and online gaming platforms to gamble away up to $400 a day.

In a sentencing assessment report tendered in court, Everson reportedly told the author he was doing two grams of cocaine a day when he was arrested and drinking up to 12 cans of bourbon and coke a day.

“I’d put the kids to bed and drink until 6am,” Everson told the report author.

When called to give direct evidence in court via audiovisual link from a Kempsey jail, Everson said he had fathered multiple children and bailed on a potential NRL career after he struggled to cope with living away from home.

“When I was 17 I signed a contract with the Newcastle Knights for the Toyota Cup,” Everson told the court.

“I got homesick.

“Ever since, I’ve been playing for the Wellington Cowboys … in 2019 we won the grand final. And I played cricket on Saturdays for Wellington.”

Kenneth Everson appeared in Dubbo courthouse. Picture: Ryan Young

Everson said Covid restrictions had made life hard for him and he could not count the number of “ridiculous” and “stressful” lockdowns he had to go through.

“I’ve been in since the start of Covid and it’s taken a toll really, just on my mental health,” he said.

“I’ve seen my kids … probably once a week on AVL (audiovisual link).”

The court heard Everson accepted he had a problem with drugs and alcohol.

“I’m deeply ashamed of what I’ve done. I’ve seen how many families I’ve hurt, how many families I’ve broken apart,” he said.

“I’ve let my whole community down, a lot of people did look up to me because of my sports and that.

“I take full responsibility.”

In a letter written to the court from jail Everson said “this is not the life I want for me and my family”.

“Being here makes me realise how much I’ve affected my kids and let them down,” he said.

“My community used to look up to me as I played a lot of sports there and now I’ve let them down. I want to be a better person and I’m willing to put the work in to turn my life around and not to relapse again as I want to be a better role model for my kids and the community.”

Judge Williams said she was “impressed” by Everson, who was remorseful and had supportive references.

“I also have a letter from Justin Toomey White from Wellington, dated September 15,” she said

Mr Toomey-White is captain of the Group 11 Wellington Cowboys first grade side which Everson was part of.

“He tells me that he’s known Kenneth Everson all of his life and that they’d gone through school together and continued to be mates into adult life,” Judge Williams said.

“He said he understands the offender must attend court, he’s seen the offender on his good and bad days and believes that these actions … are totally out of his character.”

Judge Williams told the court Mr Toomey-White said “I can say that in all the time I’ve known him Kenneth Everson, he has been a decent, hardworking and trustworthy man, great partner and father to his children and is willing to help anyone in need”.

While Everson was a “trusted lieutenant” to Kyle Thompson, Judge Williams said she would make a finding of special circumstances in his case after the court heard Everson was sexually assaulted by a relative when he was aged 8 or 9.

“His early and formative years were marred not just by his parents drug abuse and lack of caring for him,” she said.

“There was a significant trauma the family suffered in the loss of the stillborn sister some three years after this offender was born, which caused his own mother … to be a less than present mother for the offender. That would have had a significant impact on him.

“He doesn’t have any convictions for supply and he doesn’t have any offending for anything to do with drugs, to his great credit.”

Everson was handed a 40-month prison sentence and he will become eligible for parole on November 26 after spending 18 months behind bars.