Denise May Hancock sentenced in Townsville Supreme Court after meth bust at The Strand and car crash at Airlie Beach

A woman who assaulted an officer during a dramatic arrest in NQ that included her spilling drugs from clip seal bags onto the ground is behind bars following the string of drug busts.

Denise May Hancock sentenced in Townsville Supreme Court after meth bust at The Strand and car crash at Airlie Beach. Methamphetamine generic image.

A woman and repeat drug offender spilt the contents of her clip seal bags on the ground as she was being arrested by police and assaulted a policeman in the process.

Denise May Hancock appeared in Townsville Supreme Court on Wednesday after being found with methamphetamine on multiple occasions.

Crown prosecutor Jack Toohey said the 50-year-old’s offending started on March 18 in 2022 when police intercepted her car along The Strand in Townsville, to which she was “uncooperative” with police directions.

Mr Toohey said the woman refused to hand over her bag and attempted to hide a clip seal of methamphetamine on herself and even tore at the bag in an attempt to destroy the evidence pushing away from police.

The crown said that during the dramatic scuffle the woman spilt the drugs that were in the bag on the ground which contained 3.76g of pure methamphetamine of 5.10g of substance which had to be collected by the officers.

Less than two weeks later, police searched the woman’s apartment where they found 0.57g of methamphetamine however its purity was unknown according to the crown.

The court was told police also found medicines Hancock didn’t have a prescription for, digital scales, glass pipes and electric bicycles at the value of $9000 believed to have been stolen.

In further offending, Hancock crashed her car outside of Airlie Beach before she was seen placing several bags from her crashed car into a vehicle that picked her up – the crown said police intercepted that car and found 4.6g of pure methamphetamine in her handbag which she denied was hers despite her licence being inside.

Defence barrister Harvey Walters instructed by Rennick Lawyers detailed a psychological report that was submitted to the court claiming the woman, a mother of three, had a “horrific childhood”.

He said his client who had a 4-page criminal history was someone “in need” of a rehabilitative program and described the traumatic events that transpired throughout the woman’s life such as violent abuse.

While handing down a sentence Justice Tom Sullivan acknowledged that the woman’s past suffering was not her fault.

“I accept (the drugs) were for personal reasons not for commercial purposes,” he said.

“You’ve had no time incarceration on previous occasions. I accept you had traumatic experiences in your childhood as I said that was not your fault. It can’t excuse the conduct in which you’ve engaged in, you have to rehabilitate yourself.”

Hancock pleaded guilty to serious assault of an officer, possessing drugs in excess of 2g and summary offences such as possessing drugs, possessing utensils in relation to drugs, possessing medicines or hazardous poisons, stealing and receiving tainted property.

She was sentenced to 21 months jail with a parole release date scheduled for March 2, 2025.

Originally published as Denise May Hancock sentenced in Townsville Supreme Court after meth bust at The Strand and car crash at Airlie Beach