Drug found in woman’s bag at court

Jan 9, 2025

A woman has faced court after drugs were found in her handbag at Shepparton courthouse. Photo by Megan Fisher

A woman had to come before a magistrate after she was caught with a drug in her handbag at court.

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The 40-year-old pleaded guilty in Shepparton Magistrates’ Court to possessing cannabis.

The court heard court security found one rolled marijuana joint in her handbag when it was scanned through a security x-ray machine at the Shepparton court on August 6, 2024.

The joint weighed 0.5 grams.

The court was told the woman told police she had gone to court to support a family member and had forgotten about the joint in her handbag.

Representing herself in court, the woman said she had been using cannabis for about 29 years and “only really smoked at night-time to go to sleep”, using a pipe.

The woman said she had been given the joint and it had been in her handbag “for a few weeks”.

“I don’t smoke joints. Someone gave it to me and I forgot about it,” she said.

Magistrate Simon Zebrowski convicted the woman on the charge, but dismissed the charge without any further penalties.