Cairns man, Thomas Geoffrey Mashford, 31, sentenced for supplying drugs to minor in ‘attempt at seduction’

A 31-year-old Cairns man attempted to seduce a 16-year-old girl by supplying her with weed and acid, a court has heard.

A sheet of LSD tabs. (Photo by Paul Faith - PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images)

A 31-year-old Cairns man attempted to seduce a 16-year-old girl by supplying her with weed and acid, a court has heard.

Thomas Geoffrey Mashford pleaded guilty to an 11 count indictment which charged him with supplying dangerous drugs to a minor including cannabis on six occasions and acid or LSD on five occasions between May and July in 2023.

Crown prosecutor Claudia Georgouras told the court Mashford was 29-30 at the time and the teenager was 16.

Ms Georgouras told the court Mashford initially offered to supply the girl with cannabis from his medicinal marijuana script, telling her she could have it for free.

The girl later asked if Mashford could get her acid, he said he could try, but that supply did not eventuate, the court heard.

But the supplies of acid would be later provided to the girl.

Justice James Henry said the defendant was not motivated by money.

James McArdle was a no show at the Cairns Court House on Tuesday afternoon with his extradition to Victoria scheduled for Wednesday.

“It was gifts obviously cultivating a relationship, bearing in mind she was sixteen he may have been trying to groom her,” he said.

“But that is not against the law as she is 16 (above the age of consent in Queensland), this attempt at seduction.

“What is against the law is that she would be exposed in terms of the drug offending,” he said.

Ms Georgouras said the girl spoke of the “underlying efforts at a romantic relationship” from Mashford in her statement to police.

Justice Henry said there were messages from him telling her he had been “dreaming of her” and calling her “princess” and one message asking if he got her acid, could they do it together.

The prosecution said the offending was uncovered by the girl’s mother and the police were informed.

Justice Henry said even if a minor had engaged in drug taking “you look to an adult to protect them against that behaviour rather than enable them”.

“There was the obvious motivation to cultivate a relationship.”

Defence counsel Bebe Mellick said he was a first-time offender with no criminal history though he had “done a very good job at it, (getting himslef in trouble)”

He said Mashford was “well thought of by employers” and “was an enterprising young man”.
Mr Mellick said Mashford didn’t transgress past the current offending and he “never coerced or threatened her”.

Justice Henry called Mashford's actions “morally sleazy” and sentenced him to 12 months imprisonment wholly suspended for a period of two years and ordered him to pay a $3000 fine.

Originally published as Cairns man, Thomas Geoffrey Mashford, 31, sentenced for supplying drugs to minor in ‘attempt at seduction’