Springfield: Elizabeth Rose Gallagher jailed for smuggling drugs into prison and animal cruelty

A woman, 27, has been jailed for a minimum of 10 months after trying to smuggle drugs into prison and leaving two dogs tied up starving and without water or shelter.

Gallagher tried to smuggle drugs into the Mid North Coast Correctional Centre near Kempsey. (File image: Nathan Edwards)

A year of failed appearances, changed pleas and adjournments came to an end for one young Central Coast woman who was marched into custody from the body of the court after a magistrate found no other penalty was appropriate.

Elizabeth Rose Gallagher, 27, of Springfield, faced Gosford Local Court on Wednesday charged with four drug offences and nine animal cruelty charges dating back to 2023.

The court heard Gallagher had initially pleaded not guilty to the animal cruelty charges and was scheduled to face a hearing late last year but it was adjourned when she failed to attend court.

She eventually pleaded guilty to two separate counts of possessing prohibited drugs and attempting to smuggle drugs into a prison as well as the nine counts of failing to provide adequate shelter, food, water, a long enough tether and veterinary care for two dogs.

The court heard Gallagher was due to be sentenced earlier this year but again failed to attend court and the matters were adjourned for her to undergo a sentence assessment report.

Gallagher was sentenced in Gosford Local Court. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Swift

An agreed set of facts states Gallagher was stopped trying to enter the Mid North Coast Correctional Centre on December 3, 2023, with 7g of meth and strips of Buprenorphine.

She was later caught in the pokie machine area of Gosford RSL on September 16 last year in possession of 2.23g or meth and 3g of cannabis.

Gallagher tried to smuggle drugs into prison and got sent to one instead. Picture: Corrective Services NSW

A Legal Aid solicitor represented Gallagher on the drugs charges and told the court she had been given the drugs and ordered to deliver them to an inmate she was in a relationship with at the time.

Gallagher’s solicitor said she was scared of the repercussions if she didn’t comply and had got mixed up with the wrong crowd.

The court heard Gallagher had five dogs at her Springfield address and was the subject of 14 animal welfare complaints to the RSPCA between 2023 and 2024.

Between April 19 and May 10, 2024, RSPCA inspectors visited the property and issued Gallagher multiple written directions to provide adequate shelter, water and vet care for a male white and tan American staffy that was found at the property “grossly underweight” suffering flea and worm infestations.

An agreed set of facts states RSPCA officers returned between July 29 and August 5, 2024, where they found a malnutritioned female Dogue De Bordeaux that was tangled on its tether around a tree to the point it could not reach shelter or a bowl of “dirty water”.

That dog was seized and found to weigh 31.4kg when it should have weighed around 50kg for its age and was also suffering flea and worm infections and dental disease.

Gallagher had a Dogue de Bordeaux that was badly emaciated unlike this healthy dog pictured in this file image by Justin Lloyd

Magistrate Elizabeth Ellis said Gallagher told Corrective Services she was scared to live at the Springfield address because of her drug associations and was relying on friends to feed and water the dogs.

Ms Ellis said she also rejected Gallagher’s assertions that she was also dropping in to care for the dogs “three days a week” because of the “emaciated state” the animals were found in.

Ms Ellis sentenced Gallagher to 18 months jail with a non-parole period of 10 months.

“Her lack of insight to her offending is highly concerning,” Ms Ellis said before Gallagher was led from the body of the court into custody.

Originally published as Springfield: Elizabeth Rose Gallagher jailed for smuggling drugs into prison and animal cruelty