An application to dismiss the case on mental health grounds was denied.
An application to dismiss the case on mental health grounds was denied.
A Sydney high school teacher who admitted selling drugs to her students will not have a conviction recorded.
Lauren Russell pleaded guilty in April to supplying illegal drugs to students at Lucas Heights Community School.
She walked free from Sutherland Court on Monday on the condition she abstain from illicit drug use and continue to receive treatment for mental illness for at least two years.
The sentence took into account that Russell was most likely experiencing a "hypomanic episode" caused by her bipolar disorder at the time.
"There is a causal link between the defendant's mental health condition and the offending," magistrate Phillip Stewart said.
"The offender has taken positive steps towards improving her mental health," the magistrate said.
"I find that she has good prospects of rehabilitation."
The mother of three applied this month to have the charge dismissed under the Mental Health Act.
An application to dismiss the case on mental health grounds was denied.
Defence lawyer Dev Bhutani told the court his client had acted "out of character" because of her bipolar disorder, which was made worse by excessive drinking and cannabis use.
He also said the dosage of lithium tablets Russell was on to treat her mental illness was too low, placing her at risk of a manic episode.
Stewart said despite the probability Russell was suffering a hypomanic episode at the time of the offending, it was in the community's interest not to dismiss the case because of the seriousness of the crime.
Russell was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2009 and had recorded "episodes" in 2011 and again in 2015.
The latter episode occurred after she had smoked cannabis while overseas with her husband, the court heard.
A magistrate found that dude to her bipolar disorder Russell had reduced moral culpability for the crime to which she pleaded guilty.
Russell fell into a pattern of excessive alcohol consumption during Covid lockdowns in 2021.
She also admitted to having started smoking cannabis again in December 2021, four days before supplying drugs to the students.
The court heard the physics teacher contacted a 15-year-old student outside of school hours and asked them if they wanted to "catch up and have a smoke" around 3pm on December 15, 2021.
According to the court documents, the Beverly Hills resident picked up another student, aged 16, in her car and supplied the pair with cannabis to smoke from their homemade bong.
The court heard Russell sourced the cannabis from a 17-year-old former student.
A video showed Russell inhaling from the bottle and exhaling smoke as she sat on a milk crate in a skate park near the school.
