Bali Nine drug smuggler Renae Lawrence needs psychiatric help to deal with mental health issues caused by her 13-year stint in an Indonesian prison, a court has heard.
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Magistrate Sharron Crews on Tuesday convicted Lawrence over a March 2005 high-speed police chase in NSW and handed the 41-year-old a 12-month community corrections order.
The magistrate said she hoped Lawrence would be able to continue her rehabilitation and live her life back in Australia as a law-abiding citizen and an example to others.
Defence lawyer Drew Hamilton told Newcastle Local Court that Lawrence was managing her mental health problems by seeing a psychiatrist and her treating doctor and taking prescription medication.
Mr Hamilton said Lawrence was a strong, independent and resilient woman who had been ''put through the wringer'' since her arrest in Bali for drug smuggling in April 2005.
Ms Crews said the March 2005 car theft case didn't lead to a warrant being issued for Lawrence's arrest and police caught up with her after she'd turned her life around.
The time Lawrence had spent in a harsh Indonesian prison environment had given her plenty of time to reflect on her life decisions, the magistrate said.
Lawrence was 27 in 2005 with no fixed address. She had limited contact with her family and was leading a "chaotic life" due to her drug use before the NSW car chase and subsequent trip to Bali.
But Lawrence was now a different person, the magistrate said on Tuesday,
Mr Hamilton had earlier argued Lawrence could have contested the charges - given how difficult it would have been for the prosecution to prove her guilt in a case dating back almost 14 years - however she'd wanted to admit her wrongdoing at the earliest opportunity.
"Today is a good opportunity for Ms Lawrence and her family to draw a line in the sand and move forward," the lawyer said.
"This is someone who has been punished significantly in the past 13 years."
Ms Crews said her task was to make sure Lawrence was held accountable for her "serious" actions in NSW in 2005.
As well as being handed the corrections order, Lawrence was disqualified from driving for three months and fined $1000.
The 41-year-old - who's been suffering from anxiety and depression since her return to Australia in November 2018 - pleaded guilty to charges of car theft, driving while unlicensed, speeding and failing to stop for police.
Lawrence had stolen a white Ford Laser hatch at Enfield about 4am on March 26, 2005, and was driving at 140km/h in a 90 zone at Mooney Mooney before her arrest.
She was subsequently caught at Bali airport in April 2005 with 2.7 kilograms of heroin strapped to her body and later jailed for 20 years.
She served 13 years after being granted sentence reductions.
The two ringleaders of the smuggling plan, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, were executed in 2015.
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Australian Associated Press
