Healer admits mushroom trafficking before woman's death

Wearing a brown shawl and sandals, Mathews accepted she had "erred" in serving magic mushrooms to participants at a retreat in Clunes, near Ballarat, in April 2024, her lawyer said.

Retreat participant Rachael Dixon, 53, died after consuming the mushrooms, which Mathews had ground into a powder and served with hot water as a tea.

Mathews was charged with trafficking psilocin after police said she provided magic mushrooms to participants who had paid $500 to attend the retreat.

When hallucinogenic mushrooms containing psilocybin are taken, the psilocybin is converted in the body to psilocin.

On April 13, Mathews weighed the mushrooms in a white bowl on top of a set of scales before grinding them down and putting them in hot water, Senior Constable Kerrie-Ann Moroney told the court.

Mathews told police those who attended her healing ceremonies are "fully aware and consensual to the use of the magic mushrooms".

"It is the reason they attend," she said, in a statement read to court.

"Each participant can choose the amount of ground mushrooms up to approximately six grams. The drink is ingested in two sittings." 

Police charged Mathews with trafficking the hallucinogenic mushrooms after finding messages on Ms Dixon's phone.

Officers also seized the white bowl and 10 brown bowls with spoons.

Mathews' defence lawyer Jon Ross asked for his client not to be handed a criminal conviction, saying she had been traumatised by Ms Dixon's death and had not used magic mushrooms in her practice since.

"It's something that will haunt Ms Mathews for the rest of her life," he said.

"It was Ms Mathews who called the emergency services ... And ultimately, it was Ms Mathews who was with Ms Dixon in her final moments."

He said there was "no evidence of a causal link" between Ms Mathews' event and Ms Dixon's death, which was reflected in the charge brought by police.

Mr Ross said Mathews had experimented with the use of psilocybin both to heal her own trauma and that of others, and it had become a vocation she was passionate about.

"She accepts that she has erred very badly in dong so ... and what is clear is that since this matter, no such events have been held," he said.

He said there was clinical evidence psilocybin can assist in certain settings with mental health conditions including depression and anxiety, and that magic mushrooms were "a very small subset" of her practice.

Magistrate Julia Barling asked Mathews to stand as she decided to spare her a criminal conviction for the offending.

"I will specifically note that you are being sentenced today for the charge of trafficking a drug of dependence and there are no charges in relation to the passing of that participant," she said.

She said events of this type were "becoming more prevalent" and decided to fine Mathews $3000 instead of handing her a good behaviour bond, to send a message to the community that drug trafficking "will not be tolerated".

Seven character references Mathews' lawyer handed to the court, written by clients, friends, her fiance and son, were released to media after the hearing.

One woman who attended the April 13 retreat said Mathews had provided a safe environment, and was calm and controlled "on that dreadful night" when Ms Dixon died "due to unforeseen circumstances".

"She was very aware that if panic set in for her, it would take over the whole group," the client said.

"In the following weeks, Deanne was more concerned with us as a group and how we were all coping."

Mathews' fiance Benjamin Venes said she had studied under international trauma specialist Gabor Mate and continued to incorporate his practice.