The woman from Ha’akame who takes drugs to help her stay awake at night so she could do her weaving duties has been sent to two years and three months in jail.
‘Emeline Haisila, 43, had been convicted after police found in her possession three packs of methamphetamine, a total of 766 empty dealer packs, a test tube containing fragments of methamphetamine, notebooks of suspected records of drug purchases and supplies, two weighing scales, two straws and $150 in cash. The methamphetamines weighed a total of 2.43 gram.
She told the court she was using it to stay awake to weave and earn money for her family.
Lord Chief Justice Whitten did not buy Haisila’s claim and sentenced her to two years and three months in prison for meth possession. For her possession of utensils, she had been sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment to be served concurrently with the sentence on her meth possession conviction.
Haisila was not a first time offender and Mr Whitten said he rescinded her suspension term from a previous proceeding and that sentence of six months was activated and added to the above sentences, making a total sentence of two years and nine months imprisonment.
“The final 9 months of the total sentence is to be suspended for a period of 12 months on condition that during the said period of suspension, the Defendant is to:
(a) not commit any offence punishable by imprisonment;
(b) be placed on probation;
(c) report to the probation office within 48 hours of her release from prison and thereafter as directed by her probation officer; and
(d) complete a drugs and alcohol awareness course as directed by her robation officer.
Failure to comply with any of the above conditions may result in the suspension being rescinded and the Defendant being required to serve the balance of her prison term.
In the result, and subject to fulfilling the above conditions and any remissions available under the Prisons Act, the Defendant will be required to serve 2 years in prison”.
Haisila did not show any sign of remorse or regret her second offence.
The mother of six children lived in a de facto relationship after her husband left for New Zealand
“She told the probation office that she makes money by weaving mats”
The town officer told the court Haisila and her de-factor partner were “a bad influence to their community” and that “it has come to his knowledge that they are selling drugs from their property”, that “he has warned them many times about it but they kept denying it”.
“There have been many other complaints within the community about the Defendant’s “indecent language” towards her partner and their children which “disrupts their community harmony, traditional and culture order”.
Haisila’s mother tried to stop her from taking drugs and was willing to take care of the children if she is imprisoned.
