A VICTORIAN woman who has almost finished a university degree is hopeful of starting a teaching degree despite facing a high-end ice trafficking charge.
Jessy Cates, 25, of Casterton, pleaded guilty in the Warrnambool Magistrates Court to a range of generally low-end offending while she got a sentencing indication on other more serious drug matters, including trafficking ice.
Magistrate John Lesser cancelled Cates driver's licence and imposed a 12-month community corrections order with conditions she do 100 hours community work and undertake treatment and rehabilitation for drug issues.
In a sentencing indication on the more serious charges, the magistrate said he recently dealt with co-accused Cohen Porter, who also had no prior court appearances, and Cates should get a similar penalty.
Porter was jailed for six months after getting caught dealing ice three times in three weeks.
Mr Lesser said that on a guilty plea he would also jail Cates for six months and impose a 15-month CCO with similar conditions to her other CCO.
Defence counsel Alex McCulloch said Cates' life had spiralled out of control in the past 12 months.
He said she had almost completed a teaching degree and hoped to pursue that career despite the current charges.
She deferred her studies last year, moved to Western Australia but a relationship broke down, she returned to Warrnambool and became involved in the drug culture.
Mr McCulloch said his client now had strong prospects of rehabilitation, had started counselling, been struggling emotionally and financially when she started using ice in December, had not used ice since being arrested on June 16 and had spent 12 days in custody.
"Her life fell to pieces," he said.
"She hopes to teach but knows she faces an uphill battle although she has some hope after recent VCAT (Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal) decisions. She wants to finish her degree and move away from Warrnambool.’’
After considering the sentencing indication with Cates, Mr McCulloch returned to court to say his client would not accept the penalty.
The case has been adjourned to a contest mention hearing on October 10.
Police said that at 11.30am on April 20 undercover officers had a Hayley Drive property in Warrnambool under surveillance when they saw Cates, who was known to be a suspended driver, drive past.
An hour later officers raided Cates' home when she was at home with two sisters.
In Cates' bedroom they found five bags each containing one gram of cannabis, two sets of scales, two mobile phones and in a face wash bottle two ice pipes.
Cates lost her licence for three months in mid February due to demerit points.
On April 11 Cates spoke to Warrnambool's Ben Carter on telephone, who was in Port Phillip Prison.
She told Carter she had a lot of new Adidas clothing for him.
Cates called again the next day and said a man was in a lot of trouble over a burglary at Intersport in Warrnambool, which involved the theft of clothing valued at $13,000.
Police executed another warrant at Cates' Hayley Drive home and found some of the stolen clothes.
She told police a man gave her one article and while he wasn't looking she stole other clothes.
Mid morning on May 20 Cates was driving north along the Ararat-Mortlake Road near Lake Bolac when she lost control, veered off the road and her car rolled several times.
Cates was not injured but a drug test was positive, although she refused to accompany police for an evidentiary drug test.
At 5.15pm on June 16 Cates was driving a black Holden sedan heading west on the Cobden-Warrnambool Road at Naringal when she was clocked by police at 115km/h in a 100 zone.
She was pulled over, tested positive to ice and again refused to accompany police for an evidentiary test.
Checks revealed Cates and her two passengers were all on bail for trafficking and/or possessing ice.
A small black magnetic case, which gave the appearance of being part of the car, was found in the engine bay.
It contained 28 grams of ice valued at $28,000.
Police found evidence of ice and cannabis trafficking and use on Cates' mobile phone.
A Warrnambool detective also went to Port Phillip Prison and checked recorded telephone calls between Cates and Carter, who is now serving a jail term for trafficking ice.
Police allege a number of phone calls indicated that Cates was running Carter's drug trafficking business while he was in jail.
Those calls related to large amounts of money owed to Carter by users, continued dealing at inflated prices so debts could be paid off and there was conversation about one man who owed money being chased down and bashed in Crawley Street.
