Gabrielle Eden Lee, 24 sentenced for spitting in police officer’s face during arrest

A serial offender has spent about a year in jail after selling thousands of dollars of meth before unleashing a shocking attack on a female police officer.

A drug dealer who racked up four pages of criminal history has spent close to a year behind bars on remand after spitting on a female police officer during a wild arrest.

Gabrielle Eden Lee spent 301 days in custody after she spat in the officer’s face and threw a water bottle at her after police arrived at her home in November 2019 to arrest her.

The Emerald District Court was told the assaulted officer had to pay for subsequent disease testing out of her own pocket.

Police searched Lee and found buprenorphine, an opioid used to treat pain and dependence to heroin and methadone, and a mobile phone stashed in her bra.

The 24-year-old was on probation at the time.

The arrest followed an earlier incident where the Moranbah woman was the passenger in a vehicle during a police pursuit.

The court was told Lee lied to police over who was behind the wheel when questioned over the October evasion offence, which led to her being charged with perverting the course of justice.

Lee also bought $3800 worth of meth in Mackay in November, before smoking a small amount with another person and then giving the rest to a third party.

The court was told just days later Lee supplied $400 worth of the drug to another person.

Crown prosecutor John Tickle said those who use and sell meth were gravely impacting the wider community.

“The criminality of her offending is upscaling now and that the peddling of such drug is a scourge in the community, especially in a regional community as Your Honour well knows, it causes irreparable harm to its consumers lives, family related to it,” he said.

“Peddling of dangerous drugs within regional communities and then attacking police officers during their duty, are in my submission three separate and distinct types of offending but is a concerning uplift in criminality from her street drug offending.”

Moranbah police station. Picture: Tara Miko

Barrister Scott Mooney said his client had no history of violence.

Mr Mooney tendered a letter to the court written by Lee’s mother, who supported her daughter in court, detailing her strict religious upbringing and exposure to domestic violence.

He added his client had been diagnosed with PTSD, borderline personality disorder, depression and anxiety, and her offending occurred when she was not taking her medication properly.

Lee pleaded guilty to two counts of supplying dangerous drugs, and one each of serious assault on police, attempting to pervert the course of justice, evading police, obstructing police, possessing drugs, contravening an order about accessing electronic information, and possessing anything used in the commission of a crime.

She was sentenced to two and a half years’ jail but was released on immediate parole. She was also placed on probation for three years and banned from driving for two years.

Originally published as Gabrielle Eden Lee, 24 sentenced for spitting in police officer’s face during arrest