A Mosgiel woman lied to police after her partner had been involved in a police chase with her 4-year-old child in tow, a court has heard.
Tamara Lisa Gillon (33) pleaded guilty to providing false details as well as offering to supply methamphetamine, permitting a premises to be used for drug offending, driving while suspended and failing to comply with search obligations.
The Dunedin District Court this week heard the defendant offered to sell more than 4g of meth over the course of a month.
On August 20 — during that period — police spoke to Gillon at her home about her Ford Territory, which had earlier been involved in a chase through suburban streets.
Her partner, 32-year-old Jedekiah Dobie-Curran, with the child in the back, hit speeds of 70kmh through South Dunedin and police abandoned the pursuit because of the risks involved.
When officers asked Gillon who had her vehicle, she told them it had actually been picked up by an ex-boyfriend a day earlier.
But minutes later she changed her story after receiving a message from Dobie-Curran explaining what had happened.
The defendant then claimed she had sold the vehicle on Facebook for $3000, sticking to her story even when shown photos of Dobie-Curran refuelling the vehicle 90 minutes before the incident.
Police executed a search warrant at Gillon’s home a couple of weeks later.
They found 150g of cannabis in snap-lock bags concealed in the kitchen range hood, digital scales in a cupboard, more of the class-C drug in a wardrobe and $725 in cash.
Suspecting evidence of dealing, police requested the access code to Gillon’s phone but, after advice from a lawyer, she refused to provide it.
In sentencing, Judge David Robinson took into account the trauma the defendant had suffered as a child and her addiction, which, in part, explained the crimes.
Gillon was given eight months’ home detention and banned from driving for six months.
The $725 cash was forfeited as proceeds of crime.
Dobie-Curran was last month sentenced to 12 months’ intensive supervision and banned from driving for two years.
