A BENDIGO drug dealer who sold $30,900 worth of the drug ice in the space of 20 days has lost an appeal against her prison sentence.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Ebony Crump, 28, appeared in the Bendigo County Court on Thursday to appeal her sentence of 18 months jail with a 12-month non-parole period, handed down in the Bendigo Magistrates’ Court in June.
Her defence counsel Paul McClure argued Crump had been able to rid herself of her ice addiction during her time in custody, and time-served followed by a community corrections order would continue to help her rehabilitation.
Crump was jailed after police – who were monitoring her calls from December 9 to 29 – found she had been selling ice and other drugs in Bendigo to almost 50 other dealers and users.
The drugs were trafficked from Sunbury and distributed around Bendigo using a network of couriers co-ordinated by Crump.
Stolen property, including power tools, clothing, quad bikes, a trailer, firearms and firearm accessories, were used in exchange for drugs, the court was told.
A raid on her Kangaroo Flat residence on December 29 uncovered swathes of stolen goods, tick sheets, a small amount of ice and cannabis, stolen number plates, a taser, silencer and shotgun cartridges.
Crump has served 259 days in custody.
Mr McClure said the time in jail “needed to happen”, but Crump would benefit more from community-based rehabilitation.
He said Crump understood if she continued to offend, she would be looking at a lengthy jail term.
“She is able to look back on the offending with a clear head,” Mr McClure said.
“This is her first time in custody, and she has found it difficult as you’d expect. It has forced her to re-evaluate her life.
“She’s at a turning point now.”
The court heard Crump has breached two previous community corrections orders for similar offending.
Judge Jane Patrick said the offending was serious and the community had a right to expect such offenders would serve time in jail.
“She was distributing to other people… it’s not highly sophisticated, nevertheless it was organised,” she said.
“It was regular and repeated.
“This is in the face of having multiple opportunities to get rehabilitation in the community.
“The courts have to send a message out to the whole community that this kind of behaviour will not be tolerated.”
The original sentence from the Magistrates’ Court was upheld.