THERE was often a steady stream of customers at the front window, but a woman won't go back to jail after using her home to help run the Tamworth 'ice castle'.
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Flanked by her family wearing ripped shorts and a striped top, Rebecca Joan Hanshaw walked out of Tamworth District Court onto parole after she was sentenced for drug and weapons supply.
The court heard she was a 51-year-old Aboriginal woman "with a minor criminal record", but admitted to supplying 105.86g of methylamphetamine, as well as supplying a prohibited taser.
Charges of supplying fentanyl - which she was also addicted to; a box of 45-round .22 calibre ammunition; along with a second taser were also taken into account in sentencing.
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Rebecca was first arrested in a raid on her home on May 29, 2019 and released onto supreme court bail on May 26 this year.
The court heard Stephen Hanshaw - her then husband - was the "primary focus of the investigation". On a daily basis drugs were supplied in small amounts "through the front bedroom window or the front door" of their Petra Avenue housing commission unit.
Judge Jonathan Williams said both Rebecca and her husband "conducted the supplies", and "often included a line up of customers outside ... at all hours of the day". Stephen is awaiting sentence for commercial drug supply.
Judge Williams noted Rebecca "had agreed to their residence being used for the operation of the business" and "she operated a business of smaller supplies when he was away from the residence or too sick to do so".
On March 8, last year, a witness attended the unit where Rebecca sold them two tasers for $200.
Judge Williams said Rebecca also offered to supply the witness with a firearm and gave them a box of ammunition.
Rebecca was given a 25 per cent discount for her early guilty pleas and Judge Williams accepted "that she is genuinely remorseful".
He said "strangely" her Legal Aid defence had not sought a sentencing assessment report and consequently he said her rehabilitation prospects were "somewhat guarded given her some 31-year addiction".
"She was dealing in drugs to a substantial degree," he said.
"She clearly knew what she was doing and was a willing participant."
He rejected an argument by her defence that she had suffered as a result of the "sustained attacks" by this newspaper, who had reported her arrest, her involvement and her pleas.
He said adverse publicity "is just an inevitable outcome", and the attention could lead to "deterring others in committing other offences".
Adverse publicity 'is just an inevitable outcome'.
- Judge Jonathan Williams
Judge Williams said the defence argument for an intensive corrections order (ICO) was not appropriate, she had not been assessed, and instead imposed an aggregate sentence of two-and-a-half years' imprisonment.
He set a one-year non-parole period, which had expired with time served, and released her onto parole to be of good behaviour to be supervised until June 2022.
"Strike Force Radius uncovered a large number of people at all levels involved in the supply of drugs," he said.
"Methylamphetamine is rapidly addictive and tends to induce psychotic behaviour in its users."
He said it leads to "untoward injury and damage in offences such as break and enters, assaults, property damage and robberies"; and is "particularly destructive in rural communities".
"Associated with firearms it is a recipe for serious criminal conduct," he said.
Breanna Chillingworth
Northern Daily Leader Senior Crime and Court Reporter
Northern Daily Leader Senior Crime and Court Reporter
