Man sentenced for supplying drugs prior to 'nothing but tragic' death of ACU student

Brooklyn Armstrong Beattie was sentenced for single counts of sale/supply of a prohibited substance and supply of a declared substance. Photo: Albert McKnight.

The man who supplied a small amount of heroin and six Valium (diazepam) tablets to 20-year-old Elana Gaiyich before her death at the Australian Catholic University (ACU) in April has been sentenced in the ACT Magistrates Court.

On Wednesday (21 June), Magistrate Jane Campbell described the “whole sad saga” which led to the death of Elana Gaiyich and hoped it would be a “wake-up call” for Brooklyn Armstrong Beattie, the man responsible for supplying the drugs.

The 22-year-old former forklift operator and courier met Ms Gaiyich online. The court heard they were both drug users and developed an intimate relationship.

In the days leading to Ms Gaiyich asking Beattie to bring her Valium and heroin, the court heard she had smoked and injected heroin and was also drinking alcohol on the day she contacted him.

Beattie purchased $80 worth of heroin for the pair to inject and brought it to the residential college where Ms Gaiyich lived.

After they both injected the drug, Ms Gaiyich fell asleep and began snoring. When Beattie heard Ms Gaiyich later stop snoring, he went to check on her and noticed she had vomited. The court heard Beattie immediately tried to empty Ms Gaiyich’s throat and mouth of vomit, administered Narcan (a medicine used for reversing the effects of an overdose from opioids), called an ambulance and commenced CPR.

The court also heard Beattie immediately admitted which drugs he had supplied to assist paramedics. Ms Gaiyich could not be revived and died at the scene on Monday, 10 April 2023.

Magistrate Campbell extended her condolences to Ms Gaiyich’s family for the “nothing but tragic” incident.

“No one can alleviate, reduce or assist the parents of Elana with their grief,” she said.

“I expect you are suffering [too],” Magistrate Campbell said to Beattie, who she said appeared to have “genuine remorse”. She said the effect of Ms Gaiyich’s death would last all of Beattie’s life but urged him to “honour” Ms Gaiyich and her parents by not resorting to drug use, which the court heard had been a feature of Beattie’s life since he was 14 years old, except for six months in 2019.

Magistrate Campbell stressed that although Beattie was only being sentenced for single counts of sale/supply of a prohibited substance and supply of a declared substance and not for the death of Ms Gaiyich, these offences were serious and could carry a maximum penalty of up to five years imprisonment or an $80,000 fine. Beattie previously pleaded guilty to both substance-related charges on 31 May 2023.

In her sentencing reasons, Magistrate Campbell said Beattie had been an “end user” rather than a formal drug supplier seeking to make a profit and that his motivation for giving a “small” amount of drugs to Ms Gaiyich had been to share the “drug experience” with his intimate partner. She noted Beattie was also eligible for a discounted sentence because he assisted emergency services and made an early guilty plea.

She noted Beattie had abstained from heroin use, sought support for his drug use, and said his continued rehabilitation was the most prominent sentencing consideration.

Beattie was convicted and sentenced to a six-month good behaviour order.