A Whangārei woman arrested three times in just over a year for possessing substantial amounts of methamphetamine has escaped a prison sentence.

Summer Marsters appeared for sentencing in the Whangārei District Court before Judge Greg Davis on one charge of possession for supply of methamphetamine and two charges of possession of methamphetamine and utensils.

Marsters first appeared in July 2021 when she was found in a car at Ōtaika Sports Park with a digital scale, snaplock bags, two pipes and 0.61 grams of methamphetamine and was subsequently charged.

She was granted bail, but in May 2022 she was, once again, found in a car with around 1.5 grams of methamphetamine. When asked by police to unlock her phone, she refused.

She was granted bail again and, four months later in September, was found in possession of 20 grams of methamphetamine, snaplock bags each containing 0.1 grams of methamphetamine to be distributed and $7360.

Judge Davis said the fact each time she was pulled over, the amount of methamphetamine on her had increased was “a telling story”.

Marsters had since been in custody for around seven months, and her lawyer Stephen Ross said because she had been in prison for some time, a reduction in sentence was appropriate.

Police prosecutor Stu Wilkes said the only reason she had finally gone into custody was that she was offending while on bail, and a discount would not be appropriate given the charge is punishable by life imprisonment.

“Drug dealers are often dealing in low social economic areas – they stifle their communities. Twenty grams is not minor, this is drug dealing that had been going on for some time,” Wilkes said.

Judge Davis said the evil of meth was obvious, given the situation Marsters now found herself in.

“Meth can be described as a jealous lover. It hooks you into the addiction and it keeps you hooked until it takes everything from you… that’s where we are at.

“As a substance, it has that ability to hook a person … trapping them further and further into a criminal underworld of using and dealing to satisfy their addictions,” Judge Davis said.

When he sentenced her to five months’ home detention, she asked if she could have her phone returned.

“You’ll have to ask the police about that,” Judge Davis said.