A former Legal Aid employee has been given a community corrections order after a magistrate found her guilty of drug possession and hindering police.
Christina Mcauley, 49, learnt her fate at Parramatta Local Court on Wednesday, May 3, after she was busted with 17.5ml of gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) in 2021.
The Northmead resident was formally charged with ‘possess prohibited drug’ and ‘resist police/hinder police/incite another to assault/resist/hinder police’.
According to a set of facts tendered to the court, police first noticed a blue Hyundai i20 parked outside a Parramatta unit complex that is well known for supplying drugs.
It is alleged that Mcauley got out of the car and walked inside the complex, returning a few minutes later.
Agreed facts state that the vehicle then reversed out of the driveway and turned left onto Church Street before turning right without using the appropriate indicator.
Plain clothes police activated the warning light to stop the car, before approaching the male driver.
When asked what he was doing in the area he told police he was taking his friend to a chemist but was unsure which one would be open at 9pm.
When police told the driver what they observed at the unit complex and asked what the pair were doing there, Mcauley began talking to police through the closed passenger side window.
As police spoke with Mcauley, they noticed a small hand sanitiser bottle wedged between her thighs.
Police informed the accused and the male driver that they were suspected of possessing a prohibited drug and subject to a search.
As police asked the pair to exit the vehicle, Mcauley picked up the sanitiser bottle and began tipping its contents onto the floor.
According to court documents, police tried to stop her but the car door was locked and the window was wound up.
After an officer yelled “stop what you’re doing, don’t move your hands” the accused dropped the bottle, which landed upright on the floor, before getting out of the car.
Mcauley was arrested, handcuffed and searched but they found nothing further adverse.
When questioned in relation to the sanitiser bottle she continued to state “no comment”.
On Wednesday, Mcauley’s lawyer told the court that her client had previously pleaded guilty to the “somewhat trivial matter”.
She also told Magistrate Kate Thompson “she’s grateful to have been referred to the MERIT (Magistrates Early Referral into Treatment) Program” and that “the last six months have been life changing”.
In sentencing, the magistrate noted Mcauley’s remorse and limited criminal history.
She also took into account that she was studying to become a lawyer and “undertaking important public service roles” prior to being diagnosed with Lyme disease.
For each offence Mcauley was given a 12 month community corrections order.
Formerly with the ABC, Makayla is a graduate of Western Sydney University. She covers a variety of news topics for Parra News.