Wakefield released on suspended sentence for drug possession
Former Supercars driver and nightclub owner Wayne Wakefield has recently been released from court on a suspended sentence for drug possession.
Wakefield, 53, faced a series of charges relating to two police raids on his homes in the space of a year starting in May 2020.
He pleaded guilty to 18 charges, including possession of a dangerous drug in excess of two grams, contravening an order to access an electronic device, and possessing a controlled substance. However, a more serious trafficking charge was dropped.
Wakefield was a successful race car driver and raced alongside Marcos Ambrose in the iconic #4 Pirtek SBR AU Falcon in 2001.
Despite a promising start after Ambrose took a famous pole position in his first trip to the Mountain, the race did not go as planned, and the pair retired after 42 laps with engine issues.
He was a former development series (Super2) frontrunner and regular in the now-defunct V8 Ute Series.
In the inaugural Super2 Series, Wakefield finished third behind Dean Canto and Matthew White and won the first race at Eastern Creek in 2000.
After the 2001 Great Race debut, Wakefield continued to drive in Supercars sporadically until 2003 and in Super2 until 2007.
More recently he competed in the V8 Ute Racing Series in 2013 and 2014, where he took victory in Adelaide.
Wakefield’s defence stated that he had attended rehabilitation for abusing a medley of drugs as a result of his business going bankrupt when COVID-19 restrictions.
During the first police raid on May 19, 2020, police found 4.8g of pure MDMA, 1.82g of pure cocaine, 0.51g of a substance containing methamphetamine, and 525.07g of GBL, a chemical that converts to the drug GHB when consumed.
In March 2021, police were alerted to the presence of an envelope outside an apartment building in the inner-Brisbane suburb of Fortitude Valley.
Wayne Wakefield
Wakefield had been captured on CCTV footage dropping the envelope, which was found to contain five clip seal bags each containing approximately one gram of substance containing meth.
A subsequent search of Wakefield’s apartment in May 2021 revealed clip seal bags with 1.08g of substance containing cocaine, 0.7g of a crystal substance containing meth, three vials containing 6.48g of pure GHB, and 13.97g of morphine.
Police also found a cutting agent used to dilute drugs, a large plate with white powder and a rolled-up $5 note, two electronic scales, four glass pipes, $500 in cash, and $675 in casino chips.
Wakefield’s defence argued that he had the drugs for his personal possession, but some of his offending was aggravated by being committed while on bail.
Wakefield has used his time in custody and on bail to get off drugs and find full-time employment. His defence stated that he now looks like a completely different person.
Kimmins said Wakefield has used his 146 days in custody and lengthy period on bail to get off drugs and find full-time employment.
“I have known Mr Wakefield for some years. He now looks like a completely different person,” Kimmins said.
“Your experience in custody was incredibly difficult and onerous. It has left you with a firm resolve to never return to custody and to avoid the circumstances that gave rise to your offending,” Justice Kelly said.
Wakefield was sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment, to be immediately suspended for a period of 15 months.
As he left the court building, Wakefield said he felt “good.” It remains to be seen what the future holds for the former race car driver.
Image: Motorsport Images
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