A Lyneham woman caught with drugs in her car on prison property was spotted swallowing something when confronted by a sniffer dog, a court has heard.
Kylie Terpstra was yesterday convicted for bringing a prohibited thing – specifically cannabis – into a correctional facility and possessing cannabis.
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Chief Magistrate Lorraine Walker fined the 39-year-old $860; with added court costs and compensation Terpstra will be paying off almost $1000 over about 10 months.
In early February the defendant and another woman went to the Alexander Maconochie Centre to visit an inmate.
Terpstra’s lawyer told the court the inmate’s family had given her client a letter to pass on, and paid her for the favour with a ”bud” of cannabis. The defendant came to the attention of prison guards after they saw her take something out of her bra and slip it into her pants pocket, according to a police statement of facts.
The document states a drug detection dog handler stopped Terpstra, at which point the woman took something out of her pocket, put it in her mouth and swallowed it. The guard asked her what she had swallowed, and Terpstra replied ”Nothing”.
During a subsequent search of a car, a sniffer dog uncovered 1.6 grams of cannabis in the defendant’s handbag.
The charges before the ACT Magistrates Court relate to the seizure of cannabis found in the car because the car park is considered part of the prison for legal purposes.
The ACT Magistrates Court heard Terpstra, a single mum caring for a young child with special needs, was unaware the car park was legally part of the jail.
