Tia Ashley Wincen in Rockhampton court for supplying meth
A meth-using mum’s decision to mix with a notorious body-dumping Qld crim led to a surprise spray from a Supreme Court judge about Hitler’s “mind altering” drug.
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A young mum scored meth from a notorious dealer who rose to infamy during a three-week double homicide trial which lifted the veil on Rockhampton’s seedy underbelly,
She also blocked police from reaching the motel room where the dealer was sleeping, the Supreme Court in Rockhampton heard.
Tia Ashley Wincen, 24, was busted by police with Ian Robert Armstrong at Zed Motels Tropical Gateway on Gladstone Road on February 10, 2024.
Her friendship with this career criminal, surprised Justice Graeme Crow who also gave Wincen a lesson about dabbling in the evil Nazi-created drug.
Armstrong was previously accused being involved in the alleged murders of Rockhampton locals Chantal Barnett and Robert Martinez who went missing in 2013 but the murder charges were dropped.
Elements of the region’s “seedy underbelly” were revealed during a trial in 2018 during which Armstrong and his co-accused ended up pleading guilty and being convicted of two counts of interfering with a corpse.
When police arrived at the motel in February 2024, Wincen was sitting on stairs outside the motel room and she was abusive towards police, spreading out her arms to block them accessing the room Armstrong slept in, the court heard.
Justice Crow said Wincen then yelled out “Ian, Ian, I’m sorry, they came out of nowhere”.
Inside, police located 25.828 grams of pure meth in 45.134 grams of substance worth $6000 and $30,000.
They also located 66 stripes of suboxone, 127 Lyrica capsules, glass pipe, two Viagra pills and empty clip seal bags.
Wincen had messaged Armstrong earlier that day to arrange a meet up as she wanted to score a “half ball” of meth from him in lieu of cash and a mobile phone.
The court heard the majority of the drugs found at the motel belonged to Armstrong, who was sentenced in December 2024 to four and a half years’ prison for drug-related offences.
During that sentencing, the court heard Armstrong had convictions for stealing, bomb hoax, weapons offences, unlawful use of vehicles, entering premises, drug offences, violence type offences, a conviction for trafficking drugs for about four months, interfering with corpses of two young people known to be involved in the drug industry and property offences.
“This is the sort of man you are hanging around with,” Justice Crow remarked this week.
He also gave Wincen a history lesson about meth because “it amazes me that people who take drugs, it seems, know little about (it)”.
“You can look at the use by the Nazi storm troopers, Hitler himself,” Justice Crow said.
“You can see it was manufactured by the Germans predominantly to support their army.
“You can understand how it was designed to change the brain function.
“It’s a totally nasty drug.
“It could turn the normal, decent human beings, particularly males, often males into animals that will beat and bash and kill women and children.”
Crown prosecutor Joshua Phillips said Wincen had a “very poor performance on probation”.
Defence barrister Maree Willey said her client was a heavy drug user at the time of this offending.
She said since Wincen’s release from presentence custody, she had not committed any further drug offences.
She said her client now had a three-week-old baby from an unplanned pregnancy but also had significant support from her family.
Wincen’s family had supported her throughout her drug habit, not condoning it, not turning a “blind eye” to it, but rather sought to assist her such as organising for her to move away from drug associates, she said.
The court heard Wincen had trouble at school and absconded from the family home in her teenage years, living with friends and at a homeless shelter at times.
She had worked from time to time in retail and fast-food outlets, had some qualifications after completing Year 10, was diagnosed with depression and anxiety and was now on a mental health treatment plan.
Justice Crow warned Wincen to not use her newborn as a “get out of jail free card”.
“There was a time when it was just common practice, it seems to me, that every young woman that was facing a serious drug charge would come before me either heavily pregnant or (having) just had a baby and throw themselves at the mercy of the court and say, ‘don’t send your child to prison’,” he said.
“It can make no difference.
“You make the choices: you make the bed for yourself, and your child and you’ll lie in it.”
Wincen pleaded guilty to one count each of supplying a dangerous drug, one of possessing more than two grams of a schedule one drug, possessing a restricted drug, possessing or buying an S4 or S8 medicines or hazardous poisons, possession of drug utensil and possessing property suspected to be proceeds of a drug offence.
Justice Crow sentenced Wincen to two and a half years’ prison, declared 63 days presentence custody as time already served and released her immediately on parole.
Wincen fronted Rockhampton Magistrates Court on Friday for 22 other offences she committed in the lead up to this motel bust, between May 13, 2023, and February 13, 2024.
Those offences included 15 stealing and two contravene police direction, along with one count each of obstruct police, public nuisance, possession of a dangerous drug, possession of suspected stolen property and fail to appear in court.
The offences took place in Allenstown, Rockhampton, Yeppoon, Park Avenue, The Range, Berserker and Norman Gardens.
Magistrate Lance Rundle said Wincen stole items from Rebel Sports, TK Maxx at Stockland, Big W, Bunnings, Aldi, Officeworks, Woolworths, INTERSPORT, The Reject Shop at Allenstown and Chemist Warehouse.
He said she stole a range of items including a coffee machine, frying pans, tea towel and four-piece cookware set.
“It’s pretty clear you were doing it to fund your lifestyle,” Mr Rundle said.
She pleaded guilty to all of the charges in the Magistrates Court and was sentenced to nine-months in jail with immediate parole release.
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