An aspiring western Sydney nurse has left court with a criminal record after she acted as a driver for her alleged drug-dealing friend on a MDMA run around the eastern suburbs.

Pamela Tsolakki, 22, who works casually as a beautician, was sentenced over two counts of knowingly taking part in drug supply from October 11 last year, which her lawyer said was a one-off.

In the car Tsolakki was driving, police found steroids and MDMA, and an alleged plethora of drugs and cash in her passenger and co-accused’s underwear.

The Condell Park woman was also charged with being in possession of $3650 in proceeds of crime – the amount of cash found in the car.

Lawyer Zemarai Khatiz told the court Tsolakki was “hanging around with the wrong crowd” at the time and has “made changes in her life” since then.

“(She has) disassociated from persons using drugs … (and is) continuing her nursing degree,” Mr Khatiz added.

At around 11pm on the night she was caught, Tsolakki was behind the wheel of a grey Suzuki Swift, with her co-accused in the passenger seat.

Tsolakki’s iPhone was on the dash with a maps app open, the court heard.

Police became suspicious of a potential drug deal when a man ran out of Bondi’s Royal Hotel and hopped in the back of the car, which was parked across the road.

Thirty seconds later, he jumped back out and was apprehended by police walking back towards the hotel, just after the Suzuki drove off.

On him, they found one bag of cocaine.

Police soon stopped the car and asked the pair what they had been doing.

Tsolakki told police she was “dropping off my friend’s wallet that he left in the car.”

Police asked the pair if there was anything they wanted to disclose and the co-accused allegedly told police “I have steroids in the car. They’re mine. I take them.”

When asked if there were any other drugs, he allegedly said “I have more down my pants” and they were both arrested.

Her co-accused was searched and $2800 in $50 notes was allegedly located in his underwear, as well as a Nokia “burner” phone, and a container of “lollies” which contained a bag of eight MDMA capsules, a bag of crystalline MDMA and two resealable bags of cocaine.

Nothing was found on Tsolakki.

In the car, police found Tsolakki’s wallet in the driver-side door with $600 cash in it and the co-accused’s wallet on the passenger-side door with $250 cash.

In a Louis Vuitton bag on the passenger side footwall, police found two vials of steroids, two resealable plastic bags with MDMA capsules, and two bags of crystalline MDMA.

Police allege Tsolakki had full knowledge of he co-accused’s involvement in the supply of prohibited drugs, according to the police facts.

Police also found cannabis in the front passenger side door handle, an Apple iPhone in the glove box and one allegedly in her co-accused’s pants, according to the police fact sheet.

After Mr Khatiz asked for a non-conviction for her “minimal role” in the operation, Magistrate Jacqueline Milledge said “to suggest she was a minor player would be “somewhat fanciful.”

“You drove him around, helped him be where he needed to be so he could supply the drugs,” she said.

“(You were) participating in dissemination of drugs in the community,” she continued.

Magistrate Milledge sentenced Tsolakki to a 12-month and 18-month Conditional Corrections Order for the two drug supply charges.

She will also need to pay a $1000 fine.

Source: The Daily Telegraph.

Motivational speaker and Commonwealth Games baton bearer, John Coutis, has been sentenced to five years jail for welfare fraud, but was immediately released on parole.

John Coutis, who was convicted of defrauding taxpayers, was sentenced on Monday at Southport Court in Queensland.

Coutis had failed to declare almost $1.5 million he earned as a motivational speaker for more than a decade while receiving a disability support pension.

He received more than $130,000 in welfare benefits, when he was entitled to only about $30,000.

Coutis, who admitted lying to Centrelink, was caught out after authorities identified him as a frequent international traveller.

He’s made at least 37 international speaking trips and has spoken to more than six million people at events that have included attendees such as Bill Clinton and Nelson Mandela.

More than a dozen good character references were tendered to the court, including references from Alan Jones, Dawn Fraser and Phil Gould.

Judge Porter said while he respected the referees’ opinions, he disagreed with some.

“A number of references indicate this was not an act of dishonesty, but this was,” the judge said.

“I am conscious of the disability support pension not being enough to support people on disability but thousands of others have been able to comply … very few would have been able to earn $1.5 million like you have.

“The welfare system depends on the honesty of claimants and this type of offending undermines the welfare system.”

Parts of his autobiography was also used as evidence in court, including how he was born with spina bifida and had both legs amputated at the age of 17.

Judge Porter said part of the reason for immediate parole was that the prison was unable to cater to Coutis’ disability.

Outside of court, Coutis apologised for his actions and asked for his privacy.

A man who used a tree branch to beat a woman to death in a Melbourne park has been found not guilty of murder because of mental impairment.

Henry Hammond, 28, was charged after 25-year-old Courtney (Konstandina) Herron’s body was found underneath branches at Royal Park, in the city’s north, in May last year.

But today, Justice Phillip Priest directed that a verdict of not guilty be recorded in Victoria’s Supreme Court because of Hammond’s mental state at the time of the killing.

For the first time, the horrific circumstances of Ms Herron’s death have been laid bare in a special hearing before the court.

CONTENT WARNING: Readers may find the contents of this report distressing.

In May last year, Ms Herron and Hammond were walking through Royal Park in the early hours of the morning when Hammond picked up a branch.

“Are you going to kill me?” Ms Herron asked him.

Hammond, who was homeless at the time, then struck his victim in the face and beat her to death.

“He was so intense he was grunting. It went on for 50 minutes. Just constant bashing,” said one witness, who was sleeping in the park and whose account was relayed to the court by crown prosecutor Melissa Mahady.

Hammond then tied Ms Herron’s legs together and dragged her body into a clearing where he covered her with branches, before taking her phone and wallet.

Hours earlier Ms Herron, who met Hammond that day, had treated him to dinner before they smoked ice together.

Security footage from the restaurant shows them bantering happily.

When investigators caught up to him the next day, Hammond told them that he had recognised Ms Herron from a past life and that she had been treacherous to his family.

He said he believed she had buried his wife alive and that he had finally gotten his “revenge” on her when a tree branch seemingly fell to the ground.

Detailed psychiatric reports from two doctors have revealed that Hammond was in the grips of schizophrenic relapse at the time of the killing.

Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness that affects 1 per cent of the population, and is characterised by psychotic symptoms such as delusions and voices.

Hammond has had schizophrenic symptoms since 2017, and continues to have them.

Forensic psychiatrist Rajan Darjee told the court that the delusions would have felt real to Hammond during the episode.

“If he was not suffering from this mental illness, the attack wouldn’t have occurred,” Dr Darjee said.

“He felt that she intended harm to him. He felt that she was interfering with his mind. He felt that she’d been involved in some way in a past life, that she had harmed him.”

He disagreed with suggestions from Ms Herron’s loved ones that Hammond was pretending to be unwell, and said it was “virtually impossible” for him to be faking schizophrenia.

“I think it’s highly unlikely that Mr Hammond is feigning mental illness,” Dr Darjee said.

“I think it would be very unlikely that he would be able to feign these symptoms in various different contexts.

“He has refused treatment and says he is not unwell.”

Dr Darjee also said that Hammond’s condition was not caused by drugs, although they may have worsened it.

“Since he’s stopped taking drugs … he’s remained clearly unwell, despite not taking drugs and despite treatment with antipsychotic medication,” Dr Darjee said.

Hammond has been remanded in custody and will return to court next month.

READ MORE: Courtney Herron’s father demands justice for her brutal murder.

Source: ABC News.

An inner west café owner has been hauled before court for his alleged involvement in a violent brawl involving a baseball bat and machete, The Daily Telegraph reports.

Chris Tziomakis, who formerly owned the beloved Frappe cafes in Earlwood and Concord, allegedly armed himself with the bat while his mate had the blade in the two versus three melee.

He appeared in the Supreme Court last week on charges of affray and armed with intent to commit an indictable offence and was released on bail.

The alleged incident dates back to June 25, the court heard.

The 32-year-old from Bardwell Park allegedly visited a Kogarah business around 2pm and approached a woman with whom he has an unknown history, the court heard.

She “took umbrage” with his presence, the court heard, and told him to “get out of here”, before he returned with verbal abuse.

She then allegedly approached the car and punched Tziomakis, breaking his nose, the court heard.

He left the scene but returned some time later with a baseball bat and a friend armed with a machete, it is alleged.

The court was told the pair confronted the woman, but were soon outnumber two-to-three when the woman’s partner and a male employee arrived.

It is alleged a tussle ensued and Tziomakis lost the baseball bat, before getting beaten with it as he lay on the ground, the court heard.

“It seems that the original female assailant, her partner and employees were able to get the better of Mr Tziomakis,” Justice Stephen Campbell said.

“(He) couldn’t strike a blow with the baseball bat … and it was used against him.”

The court heard his friend with the machete ran off.

All those allegedly involved in the brawl, which was captured on CCTV, have been charged, the court heard, and are before Sutherland Local Court.

His barrister Ben Barrack told the court that although he was armed with a weapon, he didn’t use it, which reduced the seriousness of the offence.

There is “no suggestion he used the baseball bat or threatened violence with the baseball bat,” Mr Barrack said.

He also said he “came off worse” in both confrontations.

Mr Barrack told the court he is expected to plead not guilty to the offences on Wednesday, when his matter returns to Sutherland Local Court.

But Justice Stephen Campbell said instead of calling the police after he was punched in the face, he returned armed.

Tziomakis was granted bail on the condition he move to the regional town of Parkes to live with his cousin and not contact the other persons involved.

*This article was updated.

Source: The Daily Telegraph.