A former Penthouse Pet accused of smuggling the drug "ice" into Australia has broken down in court while detailing her former addiction and a suicide attempt.
At a sentence hearing at Sydney's District Court on Tuesday, Simone Farrow said her mother told her when she was a teenager it was OK to be a prostitute.
The 39-year-old, who is also known as Simone Cheung and by her professional name Simone Starr, was arrested in October 2009 by Australian Federal Police on her return from the United States.
It is alleged Farrow smuggled methylamphetamine inside bath products and "large sums" had been transferred into her bank account.
Farrow said she abused prescription drugs and smoked ice daily while in the US.
"I couldn't basically function unless I smoked it," she said.
The former model became emotional while describing her childhood, saying her mother used to lock her in a room and alleged she had taken her to a brothel when she was 17 and told her "it was okay to do that work".
When she was 20, Farrow said she worked at an escort agency.
While at the business she claimed a man whom she "gave all my money to", held her by her feet over the edge of an apartment at Rushcutters Bay in Sydney's east.
Given her mother's lifestyle, which allegedly involved bouncing between partners and taking drugs, Farrow said she thought she believed she was "a mistake".
"I don't have any brothers and sisters," she said.
Farrow, who suffers from a range of mental health issues, including bipolar and depression, said she's proud of being drug free for the two years and seven months she's spent in custody.
On September 13, 2013, Farrow pleaded guilty to importing a marketable quantity of a border controlled drug.
The hearing continues.
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