DEA Drug Enforcement Agency
An Australian politician has been found guilty of drug supply after initially claiming that a video depicting him inhaling a white substance was a ‘deepfake’. Former leader of the South Australian Liberal Party, David Speirs, was fined A$9,000 (£4,311; $5,720) and mandated to perform 37.5 hours of community service by an Adelaide court on Thursday. Speirs was apprehended in September following the release of footage showing him snorting from a plate by News Corp. He initially refuted any wrongdoing, asserting to the news outlet that it was a ‘deepfake’ and that he had never consumed cocaine.
However, he later confessed that this statement was false, and the resulting scandal and charges prompted his resignation from parliament. Last month, Speirs entered a guilty plea for supplying cocaine to two individuals in August. His defense argued that he resorted to drug use as a means of coping with work-related stress, although the offenses did not take place in a professional context. The case attracted significant media attention, with prosecutors contending that it was in the public interest due to Speirs’ prominent political role. His attorney had previously requested the court not to record the conviction to allow his client to travel internationally, but the magistrate deemed the offenses ‘too serious’. Magistrate Brian Nitschke stated on Thursday,
‘The necessity for public condemnation of this type of offense and the requirement for general deterrence is too significant to avoid recording a conviction.’ Nitschke recognized Speirs’ defense regarding the stressful circumstances surrounding the offenses but emphasized that it was ‘certainly no excuse’. Speirs assumed the position of South Australia’s Liberal leader in 2022 and had been a member of parliament for a decade. He refrained from making any statements to the media following his sentencing.
