A corrupt Wellington Correctional officer who helped smuggle drugs and contraband into the jail for inmates has escaped time behind bars.
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Casey Mae Perrin appeared in Dubbo Local Court where she was handed a 12-month intensive corrections order - a jail term served in the community - and ordered to complete 100 hours of community service work.
The 36-year-old who now resides in Gosford, was charged with four counts of being an agent corruptly receiving benefit while working as a NSW correctional officer at Wellington.
According to an agreed statement of facts Perrin was monitored as part of Strike Force Pinnacle - a 14 month undercover police operation which dismantled a drug syndicate sourcing ice, heroin, cocaine and MDMA from Sydney and supplying it out of Wellington.
As part of the operation in 2019 police monitored the leader of the drug ring Kyle Thompson via phone intercepts, controlled operations and physical surveillance.
At the time, Perrin was employed as a NSW correctional officer at Wellington Correctional Centre. Court documents said after she was introduced to Thompson, she began using her position to introduce various types of contraband - including drugs and a mobile phone - into the jail.
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On one occasion between September and December 2019, Perrin was asked by an unknown person to supply a small amount of tobacco to an inmate in the centre.
She was given the tobacco wrapped up in packing tape and placed in a pouch, which she took into the centre by placing it in her pants pocket. Once inside she gave it to the inmate.
Court documents said she did this on two separate occasions in return for $500.
Around October 29, 2019 another member of the syndicate Brianna Meizer gave Perrin a balloon containing a small quantity of buprenorphine. Perrin smuggled this into the jail after hiding it in her bra.
During pill rounds inside the jail, Perrin gave the drugs to another member of the drug ring and inmate Bradley Thompson. The correctional officer received $200 upfront for the deal, and a further $600 after she made the delivery.
A month later in November 2019, Perrin became aware an inmate was offering $5000 to get a mobile phone smuggled into him in jail.
Perrin contacted Kyle Thompson and asked for a phone she could supply, who agreed to pay her the $5000 to introduce the phone inside the jail. Perrin met with the partner of the inmate who paid her $1000, however she did not get paid by Thompson.
On November 21, 2019 Perrin's partner at the time attended Kyle Thompson's home who gave him 20 buprenorphine strips, which Perrin was asked to smuggle into the correctional centre for $1500.
Perrin delivered the bupe strips to the jail between November 29 and December 9.
In February 2020, police attended Perrin's home for an interview, where she voluntarily admitted she used drugs, but denied smuggling drugs or contraband into Wellington Correctional.
She was arrested at her home on July 15, 2020. At Wellington Police Station during an interview she made admissions to the offences. Police said admissions made during this interview were the sole source of evidence as to the benefit actually received by Perrin.
According to court documents, sometime prior to November 10 Perrin was also given three balloons containing a small amount of bupe. It was agreed Perrin would supply these to either Bradley Thompson or another inmate inside the correctional centre for $1000.
However according to an agreed statement of facts, Perrin indicated the three balloons along with other property were stolen from her home and she did not take them into the jail. She admitted she was given a part-payment of $500 prior to the balloons being stolen. She was not charged for this offence.
Despite initially being charged with 11 offences, defence lawyer Carmen McKay entered a plea of guilty to four of them on Perrin's behalf in March this year, with the remaining withdrawn by the Crown.
In court for sentencing on Thursday, defence barrister Rebecca Mitchell asked the court to consider taking into account Perrin's assistance to authorities, where she made full admissions to police and helped identify a number of people who were trying to bring drugs and contraband into the prison.
The court heard Perrin had been exposed to significant violence as a young child and as a result began suffering anxiety and panic attacks, which led to social anxiety and isolation.
In her early 20s, Perrin began using the drug ice, which Ms Mitchell said she used as a form of self-medication and allowed her to operate in society.
Ms Mitchell argued the the offending "was not very sophisticated" and that Perrin was taken advantage of in her role due to her social anxiety and drug addition.
Since being arrested, Ms Mitchell said Perrin had lost her employment with Corrective Services NSW, but was now working in hospitality and undertaking a TAFE course to help her "keep moving forward with life".
Ultimately Ms Mitchell told the court Perrin had never spent a day in custody, and given her past role as a corrections officer time behind bars would "significantly impact" her more so than others including her safety.
However Magistrate Theresa Hamilton recognised that the items introduced into the jail were "very powerful items" in custody.
"It gives the person who has them power, and perhaps the ability of others to commit their illegal business," she said.
"For good reason they're banned."
While Magistrate Hamilton accepted Perrin had no prior criminal history, she said that was how she was able to get a "trusted position" as a correctional officer.
She noted Perrin was prone to anxiety and panic attacks and became involved in the use of ice at a young age, however found that there was a need to deter this behaviour in correctional facilities and there was no alternative than a jail sentence.
Magistrate Hamilton found Perrin had good prospects for rehabilitation and the community could be sufficiently protected by a jail term being served in the community.