Birkdale mum pleads guilty to weapons offence, drugs

A Birkdale mother has narrowly avoided jail following an explosive police find under her bed, with a magistrate warning she had exhausted her chances.

Tara-Lee Beryl McTackett outside Cleveland Magistrates Court.

A Birkdale woman found in possession of gun components under her bed narrowly avoided immediate jail after pleading guilty to one weapons offence and several drug-related offences.

Tara-Lee Beryl McTackett, 30, appeared in Cleveland Magistrates Court on Tuesday, where she pleaded guilty to unlawfully possessing a Category A, B or M weapon, unlawfully possessing a relevant substance or thing, possessing property suspected of being used in connection with a drug offence, and failing to properly dispose of a needle and syringe.

Magistrate Deborah Vasta warned McTackett she was “getting very close to custody” after breaching a suspended sentence with fresh offending.

The court heard McTackett was already on probation and serving multiple suspended sentences when police raided her Birkdale home on February 24 as part of a wounding investigation.

There, they located a milk crate stashed under her bed containing three firearm bolts – two Category A and one Category B – described as major components used in firearms.

Tara-Lee Beryl McTackett.

McTackett initially claimed someone else staying in the house owned the items, but she ultimately pleaded guilty on the basis that the parts were found in her bedroom.

The prosecution rejected her explanation, with the police prosecutor calling the case far from trivial.

“This is not low-level offending,” the prosecutor said.

“She’s at the back end of an order that sent her to imprisonment for weapons, and people are being shot in that community left, right and centre with unlawful firearms.

“She’s got major components under her bed, and she knows darn well where she’s at in the system.”

Magistrate Vasta echoed the seriousness of the charges, noting McTackett had been given several opportunities to get her life back on track.

“You were given a suspended sentence for needles and weapons, and then just four days later police search your house and find major weapon components under your bed,” Magistrate Vasta said.

“Weeks after that, you’re found with drugs. You’ve already been given quite a few chances.”

The second offence occurred on March 29, when police found McTackett sitting in a parked car in Kingston.

When questioned, she was unable to explain why she was there or name the person she claimed to be visiting.

Police searched a handbag found in the back seat of the car and found two used syringes, a clear bottle containing gamma-butyrolactone (GBL), a recreational depressant, and identification in her name.

Her lawyer said McTackett had co-operated with police, entered early guilty pleas.

The court heard she had not worked since she was 15 and was struggling with the effects of childhood trauma, domestic violence, and untreated PTSD.

Despite this, Magistrate Vasta sentenced McTackett to 15 months’ probation under strict conditions, including mandatory therapy, drug testing, and regular reporting.

Magistrate Vasta also activated four months of a previously suspended nine-month sentence imposed in March 2024 and extended in February 2025, to be served on parole, with the remaining five months of the sentence remaining suspended.

“You’ve had more than enough chances. All seized items are forfeited,” Magistrate Vasta said.

Originally published as Birkdale mum pleads guilty to weapons offence, drugs