On Tuesday she appeared in the Whangārei District Court, facing six amended charges related to meth dealing, including a representative charge for multiple instances of supply.
The offending occurred between May and June 2023, and although police only had evidence of data for two months from two phones, Tebbutt admitted she had been dealing much longer than that.
When police conducted a search warrant on her phones, they found 1700 communications between herself and Rogers discussing supplying meth.
Rogers, 59, was found to have played a minor role in the operation sourcing the meth through his contacts and delivering to Tebbutt when she was running low. He has since been sentenced.
Tebbutt, described as a significant operating manager, would sell from her home on Three Mile Bush Road or deliver to clients around the Whangārei area.
When police raided her home they found tick lists of people who owed money, snap lock bags, scales, meth pipes, $700 cash and several point bags of meth for sale.
In total Tebbutt was found to have sold 49.75 grams over two months along with an ounce of cannabis and 3.78 grams located at her home.
When interviewed, Tebbutt said she wanted to be ‘a drug dealer with a heart’ giving drug addicts a safe place to stay and feeding and clothing their children.
Crown lawyer Danette Cole said Tebbutt’s role was significant and through all the interviews she had with various agencies before sentencing, she had only said sorry once.
“There should be genuine remorse, not just a one-liner ‘I’m sorry for what I’ve done,’ Cole said.
Judge Philip Rzepecky said Tebbutt’s offending began because she needed to feed her addiction but in the weeks before her arrest she claimed to have quit meth.
Tebbutt told report writers she made around $100,000 a year dealing, evidence Judge Rzepecky said showed she was in it for the financial gain.
“You were marketing the drugs.
“You were living this life because you were targeted and were becoming notorious in the area as a dealer.”
Judge Rzepecky said that given the significant trade of methamphetamine, it was not appropriate for Tebbutt to be sentenced to home detention.
Tebbut appeared shocked and visibly upset as Judge Rzepecky sentenced her to two years and four months’ imprisonment.
Shannon Pitman is a Whangārei-based reporter for Open Justice covering courts in the Te Tai Tokerau region. She is of Ngāpuhi/ Ngāti Pūkenga descent and has worked in digital media for the past five years. She joined NZME in 2023.
