Korey Owen Story pleads guilty to several drug possession and supply charges

A young man’s promising life began to unravel when a friend’s father offered him meth. His entrepreneurial spirit made him a roaring success when he first entered the dealing scene but it did not last long.

Korey Owen Story’s promising life began to unravel when his friend’s father offered him methamphetamine.

The then 21-year-old respected cattle station hand had entrepreneurial dreams with a bobcat had purchased.

But Mackay Supreme Court heard the drug soon took over and prevented him from being able to work.

With no ability to afford his drug habit, Story turned to dealing.

Story pleaded guilty on Tuesday to trafficking, supplying and possessing dangerous drugs.

Crown prosecutor Joshua Phillips said Story’s phone showed he had managed to make about $33,000 just one month and six days into his drug business.

He tendered photographs of banned crystal substances, money bundles, $50 notes spread across a table to Justice Graeme Crow.

Mr Phillips also detailed a series of threatening text messages that included one to a person who owed him money reading “they will come and hurt you and your missus”.

He told the court Story was either a large scale dealer or had conducted high-level sales to make the money he did in such a short amount of time.

Defence barrister Scott McLennan explained before Story became addicted to meth, he was a success story of being able to overcome a tough childhood.

He said Story’s parents split at a young age and his mother moved him and his brother to Townsville.

Mr McLennan told the court his client’s mother regularly consorted with criminals and the children were often left in the care of others for days at a time.

He said Story’s mother was in a relationship with an “incredibly violent” man who attempted to burn down their unit in 2010.

As a result, Mr McLennan said Story then moved back in with his father and went back to school.

But he left Sarina High School before grade 8.

Aged 13, Story began working on cattle stations and received glowing references from his former employers that were tendered to the court.

Mr McLennan argued sentencing should focus on rehabilitation because of his client’s employment references, several of which would “happily take him back” upon his release.

He suggested returning to cattle stations might be Story’s best option, removed from the environments where meth might be present.

Mr McLennan told the court more than 13 months behind bars was more onerous than usual for his client because the pandemic and Capricornia Correctional Centre riots resulted in eight weeks of lockdowns.

Justice Crow told Story two of his charges had a maximum penalty of 25 years in jail.

“You must reflect upon that,” he said.

Justice Crow told the court he found the nature of Story’s text message threats to be “deeply troubling”.

He said sentencing would be about balancing punishment together with rehabilitation but stressed to Story there was a “massive black mark” against his name moving forward.

Justice Crow said Story’s “excellent work history from a very young age” and lack of criminal history were points in his favour.

He told Story if he returned to peer groups with meth users, he would likely return to using himself.

He instructed the 22-year-old to “get back to working on the land”.

“The drug got the better of you, it gets the better of everyone,” Justice Crow said.

Story was sentenced to four and a half years in jail but it was suspended after the 401 days he had already served behind bars.

Justice Crow said he would be immediately released from jail.

Originally published as Korey Owen Story pleads guilty to several drug possession and supply charges