Former Eurobodalla mayor Liz Innes sentenced over cannabis charges

The 54-year-old faced Batemans Bay Local Court on February 27 for sentencing after earlier pleading guilty to cultivating a prohibited plant (cannabis in Moruya Local Court on February 10.

A second charge - possessing a prohibited plant (cannabis) - which Innes had previously pleaded guilty to, was withdrawn.

According to documents tendered to the court, police officers were patrolling Runnyford on February 5 when they observed what they thought to be cannabis plants growing beside a shipping container near a house, later identified as Innes' house.

The documents said Innes exited the house and told officers "they are mine".

The papers said Innes became "annoyed and belligerent" when speaking with police and at one point told the police she was the former mayor of the shire.

Officers found 76 plants growing around the garden in pots, garden beds and tree stumps. They ranged in size from two to 30 centimetres in height. Many had string and rocks spreading the branches to improve growth.

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Police estimate the plants seized are valued between $129,000 and $258,400. According to the papers, Innes told police she intended to harvest the plants in the coming months for the use of herself and her family. The documents said the police deemed the quantity of plants seized was "excessive for personal use".

Innes' lawyer Keely Boom said Innes had given great service to the community during the extremely stressful period of the Black Summer Bushfires. She said this took a toll on Innes, who was "waiting for her term to finish before she let the emotional load out".

"She was used to public scrutiny, but with the extreme experience of the bushfires it came to the point where she was at breaking point," Ms Boom said.

Ms Boom said Innes and a family member started using "very significant amounts of cannabis" and spending a large amount of money in order to support the addiction.

Ms Boom told the court Innes received a bag of cannabis seeds from a man in Canberra, which she planted on her farm.

She said Innes was "shocked when she was told [by police] how many plants there were".

"She didn't have any intention to sell those plants," she said.

Ms Boom told the court Innes had made a promise to not smoke cannabis and "certainly not cultivate it".

Ms Boom said Innes had told her that "I am human too. People make mistakes".

Magistrate Doug Dick said Innes had thrown her reputation away.

"This sort of offending can not be tolerated," he said.

Innes was convicted and fined $4000 and will enter into a community corrections order for two years.

Innes must abstain from illicit drugs, actively engage in drug and alcohol treatment and consult a GP to set up a mental health campaign.