Chloe Jayne Town sentenced in Toowoomba Magistrates Court for unlawfully using motor vehicles, receiving tainted property

A magistrate has described a 22-year-old’s life as a ‘classic example’ of the slippery slope of drug addiction after a once-promising athlete descended into crime after becoming involved in meth.

A 22-year-old woman was the “classic example” of someone who had a good upbringing sliding down the slippery slope into crime after becoming involved in drugs, a Toowoomba magistrate has remarked.

Chloe Jayne Town had spent a total 49 days in pre-sentence custody, in two separate stints, before appearing via video link from the watch house to plead guilty before Toowoomba Magistrates Court on Tuesday to a string of offences including three counts of unlawfully using motor vehicles, receiving tainted property including a large amount of jewellery, possessing methamphetamine and pipes for smoking the drug and breaching bail conditions.

Chloe Jayne Town, 22, appeared in Toowoomba Magistrates Court on March 21, 2023.

The court was told Town had been seen in two of the vehicles involved in the unlawful use offences, however, though she had not been in the third vehicle, she had facilitated its theft by taking keys to the Mercedes-Benz, which had been left on the boot while the owner paid the fuel bill at a Wilsonton service station on March 16.

She had then given those keys to another person who was captured on CCTV footage returning to the vehicle and driving off.

The next day, March 17, Town had driven to the Toowoomba Police Station to report as was required on her bail but police noted her driver’s licence was demerit point suspended and she was taken into custody where she was found to have a small amount of meth and a pipe for smoking it.

Solicitor Claire Graham, for Town, told the court her client had enjoyed a good upbringing and completed year 12 at St Ursula’s College.

Town had been talented at sport and boxed for 10 years, claiming state and Australian titles, Ms Graham said.

The court was told Town had used cannabis for a time but after a relationship breakdown had started using meth and mixing with drug using associates.

However, her client was an intelligent person who knew what she had to do to get straight and was seeing a psychologist and planned on leaving the Toowoomba area to get away from the city’s drug scene, Ms Graham said.

A period of parole would see that Town was regularly drug tested and keep her on track, she said.

Acting magistrate Kay Ryan said it was heartening to hear Town was taking steps to get her life on track but, noting the offending was serious, sentenced her to nine months in jail but, declaring 49 days pre-sentence custody as time served, ordered she be released on parole immediately.