Joseph Hatcher: hairdresser charged with cocaine supply

A magistrate has said he “scratches his head” after a successful Sydney hairdresser was caught supplying drugs in the middle of the Covid-19 lockdown.

A Sydney hairdresser caught red-handed supplying cocaine has been told “drug supply is not a business” by a fed-up magistrate.

Joseph Hatcher, 27, pleaded guilty to prohibited drug supply, dealing with property proceeds of crime and failing to comply with Covid-19 public health orders after he was busted by police at Bondi Beach on August 14 last year.

Agreed police facts state the New Zealand national – who lost his employment as a hairdresser during Sydney’s Covid-19 lockdown – was seen by police picking up and dropping off a passenger within a short distance.

“Police are familiar with the dial a dealer methodology and strongly suspected a drug transaction has occurred,” police stated.

“Police stopped the male passenger and as a result located two small clear plastic bags containing white powder alleged to be cocaine.”

Joseph Hatcher, 25, at Waverley Local Court on August 30 2022.

The male provided a signed statement to officers revealing he paid $600 for the two bags from within the vehicle.

Officers then pulled Hatcher over, where they located $600 in $50 denominations in his pocket and a clear plastic bag containing eight small bags of white powder in his underwear.

“The accused made full admissions to police, stating that he sold cocaine to the male,” police state.

At Waverley Local Court on August 30, Magistrate Ross Hudson said he needed to send a “major message” to the community about drug supply.

“I scratch my head – it’s going to be so detrimental to what you want to do if you take the risk, you roll the dice (with the law),” Mr Hudson said.

“Drug supply is not a business. It’s illegal.”

Mr Hudson described Hatcher’s case as “unusual”, making the rare decision not to record a conviction against his name in sentencing him to a two-year conditional release order.

“To convict him now would be the wrong message in terms of the progress he has made,” Mr Hudson said.

“I can give clear reasons why I’m not going to destroy your future – you’ve done the work for the past few months, from the moment you were stopped and you realised you were out of control.”

Hatcher will be required to abstain from drugs for two years and continue his mental health treatment.

“Professionalism doesn’t stop at 5pm on a Friday and start again on a Monday, it travels with you 24/7,” Mr Hudson said.

“People see you in a work environment and at social events – your reputation takes years to build and seconds to destroy.”