Beatrice Laus Johie
MELBOURNE: A Sarawak nurse who has pleaded guilty to attempting to import a “marketable quantity of drugs” into Australia last November will appear before the County Court here for a pre-sentence hearing on March 21.
Beatrice Laus Johie, of Kuching, was found with about 1.5 kg of heroin in her luggage when checked by Australian Customs at the airport here.
The 28-year-old single mother of three had blamed her Nigerian boyfriend for the drugs being in her possession as he had packed her bag after telling her they were off to Australia.
But he backed off at the last minute, saying he had problems with his travel documents and she had no idea she was carrying a prohibitive substance into Melbourne.
Johie has been told there were fingerprints on the package containing the drug, but none belonged to her.
The Magistrate’s Court here on Wednesday fixed March 21 for the pre-sentence hearing.
Legal sources told Bernama that if Johie pleads guilty, the sentence could be lighter.
The Malaysian Consul General here, Dr Mohd Rameez Yahaya, has been in regular touch with Johie and the women’s detention centre officers in Deer Park, about 30km west of here.
The repentant nurse has an Australian lawyer provided by Legal Aid but it is believed a lawyer, originally from Malaysia, visited her at the detentioncentre and tried to sign up as her legal representative.
But she declined his approach. — Bernama