Murderer Rebecca Anne Massey is back behind bars for breaching her parole. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
A notorious Canberra murderer is back behind bars after police raided her house and found what they suspect to be illegal drugs.
In 2011, a jury found Rebecca Anne Massey guilty of murdering Elizabeth Booshand with a knife outside a takeaway shop in Charnwood in 2008.
The 48-year-old was released on parole in May 2020 and on Friday (16 July), the ACT Magistrates Court was told she began working as a casual delivery driver for a restaurant in Jamieson.
Court documents show police had raided her house in Gowrie at about 5:00 am earlier that day, discovering Massey as well as four other people inside the two-bedroom home.
Police alleged she was slurring her words and appeared to be unable to keep her eyes open, then fell asleep on the lounge while they searched the house.
In a container for sunglasses, police allegedly found three clip seal bags they believed contained methamphetamine with a street value of about $8000.
They also allegedly found four glass vials containing what was suspected to be gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB).
Massey was arrested for breaching her parole. Her lethargic behaviour continued in the courtroom when she applied for bail. At times, it appeared she was falling asleep over the audio-visual link.
One of her parole obligations was that she must not use a prohibited substance.
Prosecutor Trent Hickey told the court she had returned a positive urine analysis for methamphetamine in May 2021, which was dealt with by a warning.
But he said she failed another such test in July, again testing positive for meth.
First Constable Jason Lobel said during the raid police also found what he called a “kit” that would allegedly be used to smuggle drugs into prison. It contained items like a small needle and Xanax tablets.
Massey’s lawyer, Solitaire Zahnleiter from Legal Aid, said her client had been trying to turn her life around after committing a very serious offence.
She said her parole had been without incident for about a year until the first positive urine test in May.
Ms Zahnleiter said while police had allegedly found items suspected of being illicit substances in the house, four other people were there at the time of the raid, one woman had been staying there, and all the items were hidden so it was not the case her client was aware they were there.
She added police had not laid any other charge against Massey, and it needed to be determined who owned the substances as well as what they were.
But Magistrate Glenn Theakston said his “hands are tied” and Massey had not demonstrated the special or exceptional circumstances required to be granted bail.
He refused bail and remanded her in custody to appear before the sentence administration board on 20 July.
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