Illawarra party drug ring: Nikita Campbell’s prison term overturned on appeal
The partner of an alleged baby-face drug chief has had her jail sentence scrapped after a successful appeal in Wollongong. The court heard the 20-year-old had suffered a ‘near-death experience’.
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The girlfriend of an alleged drug chief has had her jail sentence scrapped, with a judge ordering her 15-month prison term be served in the community.
Nikita Campbell, 20, was sentenced to 15 months in jail with a seven month non-parole period in July, after she pleaded guilty to participating in a criminal group and three counts of knowingly taking part in the supply of prohibited drugs, namely MDMA and cocaine.
Campbell faced Wollongong District Court on Friday, where Judge Andrew Haesler revised her sentence on appeal, ordering she serve the jail term in the community by way of intensive corrections order.
During her appeal, Campbell’s defence lawyer Graeme Morrsion told the court she had stopped using illicit drugs following her arrest in August 2019 and had “come a long way in her rehabilitation”.
“She suffered a major cocaine overdose and ended up in hospital,” he said.
“She engaged herself in meaningful rehab and as done remarkably well.”
In documents tendered to the court, it was revealed Campbell would weigh and bag cocaine and MDMA for a drug syndicate run from a Coniston home she shared with her boyfriend Joel Westman and his twin brother Flinn.
The Westman twins stand accused of operating a party drug syndicate and are facing 26 drug supply offences which they are yet to enter pleas to.
According to the documents, Campbell played “an active role” in the day-to-day to dealings of the syndicate and was familiar with their covert terms of “rack”, “pearl”, and “M”.
Police surveillance recorded Campbell bagging and weighing drugs on several occasions and was also caught relaying information to other members of the syndicate when they sold 27g of cocaine and 98g of MDMA for $12,150.
According to documents, further surveillance captured Campbell telling co-accused where to find drugs in the house, some of which was kept next to their fridge.
During her appeal, Mr Morrison told the court Campbell had suffered a traumatic upbringing and that her role in the syndicate was “confined to the house”.
“She wasn’t out on the street supplying the drugs,” he said.
While prosecutors argued she played a “very significant” role in the syndicate and was “an important link in the chain”, Judge Haelser agreed to vary her sentence.
“In normal circumstances the sentence imposed would be appropriate and relatively lenient given the crime,” he said.
“But since this matter came before the courts she had the experience of a near-death experience and has complied with strict bail.”
As part of her intensive corrections order, Judge Haesler ordered Campbell complete 200 hours community service and engage with drug and alcohol counselling.