Apollo John Daley pleads guilty in Cairns Supreme Court to giving minors meth

A 39-year-old man injected children as young as 12 with methamphetamine because he wanted their company, Cairns Supreme Court heard on Friday.

A 39-year-old man who took youths to spots including the Treehouse Playground on the Esplanade to inject them with methamphetamine faced Cairns Supreme Court on Friday on 44 charges involving 10 minors.

Apollo John Daley, 39, initially faced 60 charges and had indicated he intended to plead not guilty to some of them, but some charges were discontinued and he pleaded guilty to 44 charges – 42 of which were supplying dangerous drugs to minors.

Daley has indicated he will plead not guilty in Cairns District Court to two charges of indecent treatment of a child Under 16.

The matter is listed for prerecording of evidence on February 29.

Senior crown prosecutor Aaron Dunkerton said the drug offending involved children aged from 12 to 18 and began in August 2020.

“For two years, he spread the misery of methamphetamine among the youth of Cairns,” Mr Dunkerton said.

“He played a particularly active role in many supplies as he intravenously injected methamphetamine into the complainants.”

Apollo John Daley, 37, was initally charged with 18 counts of aggravated supply of dangerous drugs to a minor and indecent treatment of children. Picture: Facebook

He said on some occasions Daley sold the children meth but it was mostly offered to them for nothing.

He met the children at spots such as a house known as the Pink Palace in Pease St at Manunda, where a 15-year-old asked him for meth and he then asked the youth did he want to try a ‘red’ – a term for IV use.

Many of the youngsters had been previously exposed to meth or had used it, but Daley introduced them to IV use.

He injected children at places including behind Gilligan’s nightclub, near the casino, behind the IGA at Edge Hill, in several houses in Swallow St at Mooroobool, and at Esplanade playgrounds.

He was under police surveillance as part of Operation Uniform Kalahari and was arrested and initially faced 32 charges.

Defence Barrister Peter Feeney noted Daley had earlier convictions for offences such as robbery with violence and “despite being warned really, then embarked on a life of crime”.

He said at school Feeney needed special assistance as he struggled with reading and writing.

He started various apprenticeships such as a butcher, welder and panelbeater, but didn’t last more than three or four months due to literacy problems.

Cairns Child Protection and Investigation Unit (CPIU) detectives arrest a man during Operation Uniform Kalahari. Picture: Queensland Police

“From time to time he has got good jobs but within months he is simply unable to stick at the job,” Mr Feeney said.

“His ability to complete physical tasks has reached a level where he is confident he could renovate a house and so on, but it seems he can’t get organised to stay out of trouble, so that parole is revoked,” he said.

“He has been in Arthur Gorrie (Correctional Centre) because he could not go to Lotus Glen.

“His plan is to try and stay organised for long enough to complete parole without returning to prison.”

Justice James Henry said Daley’s many efforts to pursue a lawful living had been thwarted by literacy problems.

“You are not the first person to suffer literacy problems and there are resources in the community to aid and better support you in your problem,” he said.

Cairns Supreme Court heard Apollo John Daley supplied meth to 10 minors including children as young as 13, and often injected them with the drug. Picture: Supplied

“You don’t present as an appealing prospect for early parole, and the risk is you’ll blow it as you have previously.”

Justice Henry said Daley had corrupted children not old enough to make proper and informed decisions, meth was notoriously addictive, and there was an extra layer of invasiveness because he injected the children.

“Your association with them does not appear to have degenerated beyond you being motivated by the company of these children.

“It presents a particularly lonely picture of you that at your age, you’ve fallen into a life of keeping company with children, if not street children, then certainly children leading a rebellious existence without oversight or care by parents or guardians,” Justice Henry said.

“There is no suggestion of a nefarious motive beyond your rather pathetic desire to socialise and share drugs.”

Justice Henry noted a previous sentence of five years and six months would be activated by this latest conviction, and that Daley was on parole for three of the offences.

He imposed a head sentence of three years and nine months, and six months to be served cumulatively for refusing to give police access details for his phone.

Daley’s parole eligibility date is June 24, 2024, with 602 days in custody declared as time served.

As well as the District Court matter, Daley has outstanding matters in Cairns Magistrates Court.

Originally published as Apollo John Daley pleads guilty in Cairns Supreme Court to giving minors meth