New South Wales Consolidated Acts

SUMMARY OFFENCES ACT 1988 - SECT 27C

27C Introduction or supply of syringes

(1) A person:

(a) who brings or attempts by any means whatever to introduce a syringe into a place of detention, or

(b) who supplies or attempts by any means whatever to supply a syringe to an inmate who is in lawful custody,

is guilty of an offence.

Maximum penalty: imprisonment for 2 years.

(2) A person is not guilty of an offence of bringing or attempting to introduce a syringe into a place of detention if the person satisfies the court that the officer in charge of the place of detention had consented to the person’s bringing or introducing the syringe into the place of detention.

(3) A person is not guilty of an offence of supplying or attempting to supply a syringe to an inmate in lawful custody if the person satisfies the court:

(a) that the supply was authorised on medical grounds by a registered medical practitioner, and

(b) if the inmate is in lawful custody in a place of detention, that the officer in charge of the place of detention had consented in writing to the supply.

(5) While absent from a place of detention in any of the circumstances referred to in section 38 (1) of the Crimes (Administration of Sentences) Act 1999 , an inmate is taken to be in lawful custody for the purposes of an offence under this section only if the inmate is being escorted by a correctional officer (within the meaning of that section) or a police officer.

(6) In this section, "syringe" means a hypodermic syringe, and includes:

(a) anything designed for use or intended to be used as part of such a syringe, and

(b) a needle designed for use or intended to be used in connection with such a syringe.