Father-of-two admits drugs charges
A Christchurch father-of-two has been told not to have “unrealistic expectations” about a possible home detention sentence after pleading guilty to 16 charges arising from the police’s Operation Nebraska nationwide investigation.
Jamie Daniel Robinson, a 27-year-old demolition worker, was told by Christchurch District Court Judge David Saunders: “It has been clearly identified that a term of imprisonment is a starting point for the court’s consideration.”
The judge ordered a report on Robinson’s suitability for home detention but he warned that it might not be the outcome for Robinson, who had his wife in court, along with their children aged four and seven.
Sentencing was set for May 14, with Robinson staying on bail in the meantime.
Several people have been arrested after the police operation. Three of those arrested in Christchurch have pleaded not guilty and have been remanded to a case review hearing in Wellington on April 10, because the charges originated there. The Crown may push to have the trial eventually held in Wellington.
Jamie Robinson is the only defendant to plead guilty. He entered his pleas after the police agreed to withdrawn two charges.
He admitted several charges of supplying the class A drug methamphetamine, offering to supply the drug, producing the class C drug BZP (known as party pills), possessing BZP for supply, and unlawful possession of a shotgun and cartridges. His offending occurred in Christchurch in September and October.
Defence counsel Michael Starling said the total amount of methamphetamine referred to in the charges was 86g, and 7480 BZP tablets.
Police did not oppose Robinson being granted bail pending sentence, Mr Starling said. He had no previous similar offending on his record, and had entered his guilty pleas at the first opportunity. There had been no breaches or issues while he had been on bail.
He said Robinson had now been assessed by the Salvation Army’s Bridge Programme for alcohol and drug rehabilitation and was to begin three-times-a-week sessions there from next week.
Category: News
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