Drug dealing mum warned over partner

A Whangarei mother of six who sold cannabis  to make ends meet while her partner was in jail has received home detention and a warning to dump the man when he gets out of jail if he hasn't been   rehabilitated.
Betty Tiaho Ormsby, 32, appeared for sentence in the High Court at Whangarei last week  after earlier pleading guilty to a charge of selling cannabis.
Ormsby was originally to be sentenced in the district court on the charge, but that court declined jurisdiction and the matter was sent to the High Court, where Justice Warwick Gendall sentenced her to six months' home detention.
Justice Gendall said the probation report on Ormsby recommended community detention, but even her lawyer, John Day, agreed that home detention was more appropriate to mark the seriousness of the offence.
The judge said in April, Ormsby bought  cannabis from an associate and divided it into 28 cannabis tinnies she planned to sell for $20 each.
Police later executed a search warrant and found 21 cannabis tinnies and $140 in cash, which Ormsby said she got from selling the other seven tinnies.
"You told the probation officer that while your partner was in prison you found yourself under financial pressure and chose to sell cannabis to supplement your income," the judge said.
He said it was small-scale dealing  and her early guilty plea counted in her favour.
"There is some suggestion in the probation officer's report that [her partner] has links to certain undesirables who may have taken advantage of you," Justice Gendall said.
"And on his release you need to seriously consider whether you will continue in his company unless he has completely rehabilitated," he said.
Justice Gendall said despite having 13 previous convictions, including  two serious assault charges,  they were largely alcohol related and Ormsby's last conviction was in 2004.
"You have got off the alcohol and there are good signs for your future," he said.
The starting point for sentencing was two years' jail, from which he deducted eight months for the early guilty plea. This was then converted into six months' home detention.
"I can't make it a condition that you not associate with your partner when he is released if he hasn't rehabilitated totally, but if you do, the prospect of you offending while on home detention exists and that would mean you come back here to be sentenced," Justice Gendall said.