Reality TV show contestant Christopher Mark Jensen has walked free from court after receiving a suspended prison sentence for drug trafficking.
Jensen, 34, has had drug trafficking charges hanging over his head for almost five years - a period that included his popular 2021 Married At First Sight stint.
Justice Paul Freeburn said the charges would ordinarily result in a prison sentence but described Jensen's case as "extraordinary" in Brisbane Supreme Court on Friday.
Jensen was 29 when he was arrested in October 2017 during Queensland Police's Operation Papa Argyle that targeted drug trafficking on the Sunshine Coast.
Jensen bought wholesale quantities of largely cannabis and on occasion cocaine and MDMA, and sold them to his own customer base at Peregian Springs over four months, the court heard.
Using an encrypted messaging app with suppliers and customers, he received eight supplies of cannabis from June to October 2017 ranging from 450 grams to seven kilograms to sell.
Jensen was arrested in October 2017 when a police search of his Sunshine Coast home found 197g of cannabis and $5800 in cash.
"These were substantial qualities being offloaded over a short period of time," crown prosecutor Michael Andronicus said.
"It is best described as an intense period of trafficking."
Jensen has been on bail since, allowing him to appear in MAFS two years ago.
He became a fan favourite on the show despite a short-lived romance with his on-screen bride Jaimie Gardner after opting to go their separate ways.
"You were arrested on these charges four years and 10 months ago," Justice Freeburn said.
"Just why it took these charges so long to come to the court is a mystery.
"I am told various events that occurred ... none of those explain the extraordinary delay.
"I would ordinarily impose a custodial case for this type of serious offending (but) in my view this is an exceptional case."
His fiancee Tayla Made and his mother embraced in court in relief when Jensen received a suspended jail term.
Jensen pleaded guilty to a number of charges including two counts of supplying a dangerous drug and one count of trafficking a dangerous drug (serious organised crime).
He was sentenced to four years in jail, immediately suspended for four years.
