Demi Mauro: Mangerton woman seeks bail for rehab after drugs, weapons found in her unit
An Illawarra woman has failed in her bid for bail to attend rehab after police allegedly found weapons, cash, coccaine and ices in her apartment.
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A Mangerton has been refused bail to attend a residential rehab program, after cash, cocaine, ice and weapons were allegedly found in her one-bedroom Mangerton unit.
Demi Mauro, 28, was refused bail at Wollongong Local Court by Magistrate Claire Girotto on Wednesday, after she was charged with 14 offences including supply prohibited drug, possess or use a prohibited weapon without permit and deal with the proceeds of crime.
Mauro has been in custody since May, and sought release to enter a residential rehab facility to deal with her long-running addiction issues.
“She has struggled with drug addiction for most of her life and this is the first time she has been assessed as suitable for full time rehabilitation,” he lawyer Matt Ward told the court.
However, Magistrate Girotto refused the application, noting Mauro was on a community-based sentence at the time for similar offences.
“I’m very sympathetic to people who want to go to rehab, but given the fact she was on an intensive corrections order for other similar matters, I have to deny bail,” she said.
The court heard on May 20, officers from the South East Region Enforcement Squad were conducting patrols when a man initiated a foot pursuit.
During the chase, police allege they were led to Mauro’s apartment in Johansen Crescent. After hearing movement inside, police knocked at the door, which Mauro allegedly opened.
Police questioned Mauro, who was subject to a Firearms Prohibition Order, asking her whether there were any weapons inside the home.
In court documents, police allege Mauro made admissions to having a replica firearm, which she said she found a week prior.
After she refused a compliance search, police obtained a warrant and searched her unit.
Inside, police allegedly found and seized more than $20,000 cash suspected to be the proceeds of crime, cocaine, cannabis, methylamphetamine, two tasers, a laser pointer, gel blaster and personal identification cards in various names.
In the documents, police claim the cash was found in a safe in her bedroom along with 56 grams of methamphetamine.
The 28-year-old was arrested at the scene and taken to Wollongong Police Station, where it’s alleged she made admissions to owning some of the items. In regards to the gel blaster, she told police she “thought it was a toy” and that she’d found it the week prior.
However, in the days following her arrest she pleaded not guilty to the 14 offences.
Mauro will remain behind bars on remand until she appears in front of the court again next month.