HAVING cocaine on a night out at the pub has been described by a teen as a "one off", a court has heard.
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Harrison Ryan Nowlan, 19, of Heathcotes Lane, Bimbi pleaded guilty in Bathurst Local Court on January 17, 2024 to possessing a prohibited drug.
Court documents state police were doing patrols with a drug dog at the Kings Hotel in Bathurst about 11.15pm on November 4, 2023 when they saw Nowlan.
As police entered the main bar area, Nowlan became "extremely" nervous and whispered to someone before he tried to walk away.
But, he was stopped by police and asked if he had any drugs on him.
Nowlan told police they would find cocaine in a small bag inside of his wallet.
After police found the drug, Nowlan explained he had bought it two hours prior for about $200 and had already used some.
Police later weighed the bag and found the drugs came to a total of 0.35 grams.
Sentence
Solicitor Shane Cunningham told the court this was a "one off" occasion for his client, who had no prior similar matters on his record.
"Here you are one year into adult life and you've committed this drug offence," Magistrate Lisa Stapleton said.
"It's not an error of judgement, it's a criminal offence."
Nowlan was placed on a conditional release order (without conviction) for two years.
