A YOUNG mother-of-four who was coerced by her abusive ex into couriering about 10 kilograms of methamphetamine from Sydney to Brisbane has avoided a jail term in Newcastle District Court.
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Sophy So, 25, a third-year social work and criminal justice student, and her ex-partner, Umar Amin, were in a courier van that was stopped by police on the Pacific Highway at Nerong, north of Newcastle, in April, 2022.
Inside the van police found bags of ice totalling about 10 kilograms secreted inside furniture.
Amin, who had a $7000-a-week cocaine addiction and a gambling problem, told So to take the blame because she was a woman, a mother and she would not go to jail.
So initially lied to police, completely exonerating Amin, and told a story about two men approaching her at a casino in Sydney and asking her to do them a "favour" by driving the van to Brisbane.
She spent three months behind bars before being granted bail.
She didn't know it, but her attempts to clear Amin would be futile because he had handled the packages and would ultimately plead guilty to supplying a large commercial quantity of methamphetamine and possession of an unauthorised pistol.
So denied the same charge and was headed for trial, but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of taking part in the supply of an indictable quantity of ice during the Newcastle District Court's super callover last year.
Prosecutors withdrew the more serious charge and So's plea came on the basis that she only knew there was about 250 grams of methamphetamine on board the van when she drove it up the Pacific Highway in April, 2022.
She gave evidence in Newcastle District Court on Tuesday, telling Judge Roy Ellis that Amin did not have a drivers license and had demanded she drive the van to Queensland.
She said she had refused but Amin became angry and assaulted her and after that she was "too scared to say no".
So said she knew Amin used drugs and thought he was "up to no good" but did not know exactly what she was transporting.
She said after they were stopped and the drugs were discovered that she told police a lie in an attempt to clear Amin, concocting a story about two shadowy figures at a casino.
Judge Ellis said the woman was not part of the planning, received no financial gain and had clearly been subjected to duress at the hands of her ex-partner in the context of a relationship that was characterised by abuse and control.
He said the duress and So's subjective case meant she should not be returned to jail and ordered that she serve a 15-month intensive corrections order.
