Total honesty from cannabis grower facing jail
With total honesty, Paul William Carson announced before his sentencing that he would not be changing anything about his cannabis-using lifestyle.
The Dallington man, 51, has gone to jail for one year eight months after police found a sophisticated growing operation in the garage of his house, and cannabis worth $53,000.
He was jailed for growing cannabis in December 2001 and Christchurch District Court Judge Paul Kellar said today that Carson had also been prosecuted “reasonably routinely” for cannabis offending.
He had been remanded in custody for sentence after his arrest when police executed a search warrant in April. He had pleaded guilty to charges of cultivating cannabis and possession of cannabis for supply.
He presented quite a picture of defiance in the dock today, standing with his arms folded.
Judge Kellar noted that in his pre-sentence interview with Probation, Carson said he had “no intention of changing whatsoever”.
“The prospects are that we will see you again at some stage,” said the judge.
Defence counsel Bridget Ayrey said the growing operation and cannabis had been found at Carson’s Dallington home. He acknowledged being a heavy user of the class C drug.
Prosecutor Sergeant Paul Scott said there was “more than a hint” of sophistication and commerciality about the offending.
Police carried out their search in the early morning on April 9, and found three growing rooms set up in the garage with a complex cultivating system.
It had heat lamps, thermostats, power boxes, control boxes, air pumps, and ducting.
There were 38 cannabis plants between 40 and 160cm tall, plus 151 cannabis cuttings drying in the garage as well as 1370g of cannabis head in plastic bags and buckets under the house.
The total value – actual and potential – of the plants and the harvested material, was $53,000.
“The items found at your address, together with the very heavy power consumption indicate that you have been cultivating a large amount of cannabis for a number of years,” Judge Kellar told Carson.
He said the prime sentencing consideration was deterrence, imposing the jail term with six months of standard release conditions to follow, but no special conditions for rehabilitation programmes.
Category: News
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