A woman sentenced for dealing methamphetamine wiped away tears as she was forced to confront the consequences of her actions. Photo / 123RF
A woman sentenced for dealing methamphetamine wiped away tears as she was forced to confront the consequences of her actions. Photo / 123RF
A 40-year-old woman who has endured the "most appalling life" wiped away tears as she stood in the dock, reflecting on the consequences of her drug dealing.
"If you were to make a tick list of the types of things that can go wrong to someone standing in a dock, she has it all and more," lawyer John Sandston said of Zara Wilson.
Wilson was today sentenced in the Nelson District Court to nine months' home detention for charges related to dealing methamphetamine and cannabis between May and August last year.
She had earlier admitted nine charges of dealing methamphetamine, three charges of cannabis dealing, plus possession of the drugs and utensils associated with using them.
Sandston said in laying out her background - some of it too extreme to be read in court - that while it was no excuse, it did go some way to explaining the point she had reached in life today.
Zara Wilson, sentenced to home detention for dealing cannabis and methamphetamine was "pre-disposed to substance abuse" from a young age. Photo / 123RF
"She's had the most appalling life, which shows a clear nexus as to why this happened.
"It's no excuse but she does show a refreshing candour about what went wrong," Sandston said.
He said given her background it was remarkable she had any self-confidence left at all.
A glimmer of hope in her capability to self-right was that she had persevered in obtaining ACC-funded counselling for a highly sensitive claim the court chose not to reveal.
Sandston also described Wilson as a "people pleaser" which was partly why she had gone down the path she had, combined with an upbringing that lacked necessary guidance.
Judge Jo Rielly credited the writer of the cultural report specific to Wilson, which had played a big part in the court's understanding.
Judge Rielly said despite this, an aggravating feature associated with her dealing two classes of drugs was that Wilson had offered to sell cannabis to young people, including someone under the age of 16.
She had also allowed young people to smoke cannabis in her home, but in her favour, Wilson had taken it upon herself to get the help she needed.
It was also encouraging to see Wilson's father, who had lived a chequered life himself, trying to support her.
"It's fair to say that right from a very young age you've been pre-disposed to substance abuse.
"You were physically harmed in more ways than one, which has had a profound effect on how you feel about yourself, but it seems you are trying your very best to get on top of things.
"You have had a lot of trauma and you've surrounded yourself with anti-social peers most of your life."
Judge Rielly said it was a good sign that Wilson now had a "very positive relationship" with her sons, with whom she spent a long time without.
"I think this has had a lasting effect on you, but they are now back in your life.
"You will always be their mother. It's time now to put what happened behind you and enjoy the relationship you now have with them."
Judge Rielly told Wilson, who wiped away tears, that she was "very ready to be rehabilitated".
From a starting point of 22 months in prison, which left the option open for a substitute sentence, Wilson was ultimately sentenced to nine months' home detention with conditions including she attend a list of appropriate programmes and counselling tailored to help with her rehabilitation.
