Wife of a top Australian official serving under RAMSI found guilty on drug possesion

An Australian woman pleaded guilty of possessing a prohibited substance in Magistrate Court yesterday.

Louise Pamela Kelly, 48 wife of a top Australian official serving under RAMSI, admitted the offence when she appeared before Magistrate William Seneka.

Ms Kelly, who was accompanied by her husband Bruce Kelly, will be sentence at 10 am today.

Mr Kelly works for GRM, the Ausaid contracted company managing RAMSI’s law and Justice Sector. He was a team leader.

The Court heard Ms Kelly, who was not working, was out at the Central Market on 15 April 2008 to shop for fruits and vegetables when someone offered her marijuana.

Public prosecutor Paul Kausimae Jnr told the court that, police officers patrolling the market were alerted of the suspicious activity and arrested Ms Kelly.

She was taken to the market Police Post and briefly questioned. Police also searched her bag and found 15 rolls with 80 grams of marijuana wrapped in red plastic, he said.

Defence lawyer Andrew Radclyffe, in mitigation, told the court his client was shopping at the market for fruits and vegetables when someone offered her the drug.

This offence was committed in a spur of a moment. It was out of character. Ms Kelly was not a drug user, Mr Radclyffe said.

He apologized to the court on behalf of his client and asked the magistrate to consider her guilty plea.

Mrs Kelly has already suffered a great degree of shame as a result of this offence. She had let a number of people down. Mr Radclyffe said.

She has no record of previous convictions either in Solomon Islands, Australia or elsewhere, he said.

The offence carries a maximum penalty of $500 fine or six months imprisonment.

Source: Pipolfirst