Pregnant Bonbeach mum Candice Santon hid ice in handbag
When cops raided a Bonbeach house they found a pregnant mum with ice in her handbag. She was told not to stuff up again or risk having to give birth behind bars.
South East
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A pregnant mum with a decade-long drug history caught with ice in her handbag has been jailed for 28 days.
But because she had already served that time on remand, she was allowed to go free.
Candice Santon was nabbed with a small bag of meth and a stolen driver’s licence when cops busted down her Bonbeach door.
The 30-year-old unemployed mother, who is also four months pregnant with her second child, appeared via the online Frankston Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
She pleaded guilty to drug possession, handling stolen goods, a bail breach and refusing to assist police.
Several more serious charges including possessing a firearm and drug trafficking were withdrawn.
The court heard on August 11 this year police went to Santon’s home to conduct a raid.
She refused to let them in, so they broke down her door.
When they got inside officers found her in a bedroom with .9g of ice in her handbag.
Also hidden in her wardrobe was a stolen driving licence.
When she was interviewed she said the drugs were for personal use and that she didn’t know anything about the licence.
Santon was arrested and remanded in custody, but refused to give police access to her phone.
She was on bail over other charges and was serving a community corrections order imposed for similar offending at the time.
Her defence lawyer told the court Santon was doing well on her corrections order and had abstained from using drugs.
She said her time in custody was very difficult as she was removed from her daughter, and a fine would be the appropriate penalty for these minor offences.
Magistrate Julian Ayres disagreed, saying due to her criminal past for similar drug and dishonesty offending a monetary punishment was too lenient.
“You have a pretty extensive history over the last 10 years; a fine is not within range,” Mr Ayres said.
“If you commit any more offending you are likely to be locked up again.
“If you do, and as you are expecting another child next year, you may well be having the baby in custody.”
Santon was jailed for 28 days, classed as time served.
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