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A troubled former reality TV personality has told a court she is struggling to raise the funds to pay a lawyer to challenge her drug-driving conviction.
Jordan Ray Finlayson appeared in the NSW District Court on Wednesday to ask the court to delay her appeal over the severity of her 18-month corrections order.
She told the court she needed two months to earn enough money to pay a lawyer to represent her in the legal battle.
“I just need time to raise the funds,” the former Beauty and the Geek contestant explained.
‘I need to come up with the funds of about $3000.
Jordan Ray Finlayson has told a court she is struggling to raise the funds to pay a lawyer to challenge her drink-driving conviction. Pictured
The former Beauty and the Geek star appeared in the NSW District Court on Wednesday to ask the court to delay her appeal over the severity of her 18-month corrections order.
The court heard she had been refused legal aid because her custodial sentence did not meet their criteria.
The former NRL cheerleader said she had since been in contact with lawyer Claudia McCristal, who informed her she is demanding upfront payment for her services.
She asked for a two-month extension to allow her to earn enough money to cover legal fees.
“I work casually but I’m in the process of getting more work,” Finlayson told the court.
Judge John North agreed to adjourn the appeal until May to allow her to get proper instructions.
He noted that the ex-Penthouse model is also scheduled to be sentenced next month on unrelated charges.
“You’re going to have a little trouble brewing with these different cases,” the judge told her.
Finlayson was convicted in November of driving under the influence of drugs, driving with drugs in his system and possession of illegal drugs.
She is appealing the severity of her sentence for the first two convictions after she was given an 18-month correctional order, 150 hours of community service and a $500 fine.
She told the court she needed two months to earn enough money to pay a lawyer to represent her in the legal battle
The former professional dancer was also disqualified from driving for two years.
Court documents reveal she was high on meth when she crashed her white Toyota Yaris into a guardrail in western Sydney just before 4am on February 7 last year.
When police arrived at the scene, Finlayson was unconscious in the driver’s seat and was awakened by police opening the passenger door.
She began acting erratically and leaned over to the passenger side muttering “hey baby” to the empty seat, according to the documents.
The former reality TV personality struggled to her feet and was unable to answer questions posed by police, except to say she had been drinking alcohol.
A blood test showed she had gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) and meth in her system at the time of the crash.
Two months later, Finlayson was again caught driving with crystal meth in her system when she was stopped by police for a random roadside drug test in Sydney’s east.
Since her stint on Beauty and the Geek in 2011 alongside Julian Stevensen, she has been in and out of rehab and court.
Since her stint on Beauty and the Geek in 2011 alongside Julian Stevensen, she has been in and out of rehab and law