Man jailed over US polo star spa death at mansion gets rehab approved
Joseph Douglas McGirr outside of the Christchurch District Court on Friday. (Photo / George Heard)
Man jailed over US polo star spa death at mansion gets rehab approved Fri, 7 May 2021, 3:28PM
A Christchurch engineer jailed for hiding the clothes of a US polo star after she died at his hillside mansion has had his bid to transfer his sentence to a rehab unit approved.
Lauren Biddle died suddenly, most likely of a drug overdose, at Joseph Douglas McGirr s Clifton property on October 22, 2018.
McGirr had denied supplying the 22-year-old the Class-B controlled drug MDMA, also known as ecstasy, and attempting to pervert the course of justice by burying Biddle s clothing after her death.
Christchurch man Joseph McGirr jailed over US polo star spa death at mansion gets rehab approved
7 May, 2021 12:25 AM
6 minutes to read
Joseph Douglas McGirr outside of the Christchurch District Court on Friday. Photo / George Heard
A Christchurch engineer jailed for hiding the clothes of a US polo star after she died at his hillside mansion has had his bid to transfer his sentence to a rehab unit approved.
Lauren Biddle died suddenly, most likely of a drug overdose, at Joseph Douglas McGirr s Clifton property on October 22, 2018.
McGirr had denied supplying the 22-year-old the Class-B controlled drug MDMA, also known as ecstasy, and attempting to pervert the course of justice by burying Biddle s clothing after her death.
Judge Tom Gilbert said at the time he did not think a sentence of home detention would be appropriate in McGirr’s case as his actions in the past created the impression that he thought “compliance with court orders is optional”. He granted McGirr leave to apply for his sentence to be commuted to a non-custodial sentence, but only to a residential drug and alcohol treatment programme. On Friday, McGirr appeared in the Christchurch District Court to request to be released to a privately funded drug and alcohol rehabilitation programme in Auckland. The proposed programme involved a 30-day residential programme followed by five months in a sober living house.
Christchurch man Joseph McGirr jailed over US polo star spa death asks for rehab instead of jail nzherald.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nzherald.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.