A prominent South Island union organiser has been sentenced to community detention for trying to sell methamphetamine.
Sharna Butcher, 36, was sentenced on a charge of conspiring to sell a Class A drug in the Christchurch District Court this afternoon.
The Unite Union South Island organiser requested name suppression, arguing the publication of her name would affect her employment, however the plea was ignored by Judge Paul Kellar.
Butcher, who admitted the offending earlier this year, was caught out by a text message which showed her asking if the recipient knew anyone who wanted methamphetamine.
Judge Kellar labelled the offending "serious" but admitted her role was a minor.
"[There was a] degree of planning and premeditation," he told the court.
"Recreational drug use led you into contact with others and the more sinister side of the drug world."
Ms Butcher is well-known around the South Island, having both organised and attended several protests across this year. She attracted media attention in May after blocking the drive through to a McDonald's restaurant in Dunedin while lobbying for better pay rates and guaranteed hours for workers.
She will not be able to leave her home between 7pm on Fridays and 7am on Mondays for the next four months.
3 News
source: newshub archive
