October 08, 2008

Meth-lab 'dabbler' goes to jail

A meth-lab cook ? described as a non-commercial dabbler who gave it up because he wasn?t any good at it ? has been jailed for two years four months.

Justice Christine French, in the High Court at Christchurch, said it was an aggravating factor that there were children living at the premises where there were dangerous chemicals and residues from methamphetamine manufacture.

Thirty-one-year-old Darren John Sykes had pleaded guilty to the charge of manufacturing the class A drug which Justice French said was ?rightly described as a scourge on our society?.

When police raided the Bexley property, they found Sykes, his partner, three children aged eight months to seven years, and an 80-year-old grandmother.

The methamphetamine laboratory was in a caravan parked in the yard.

Defence counsel Rupert Glover said Sykes was a dabbler whose two efforts at drug manufacturer had been ?pretty unsuccessful?.

?He tried to manufacture a little bit of the drug so he would not commit crimes to buy it,? he said. ?He manufactured half a gram of methamphetamine and then basically gave it up.?

He said Sykes had now squarely confronted his drug habit. ?He wants me to express to the court his wish to become a responsible father and family member. He realises the first step towards doing that is dealing with his drug habit.?

Justice French said Sykes had a history of drug abuse and a significant record of previous offending. He had 57 previous convictions including five for cannabis offences.

She jailed him for two years four months and the sentence will begin when his present sentence ends. He is already serving time for driving offences, breach of bail, and breach of prison release conditions.

The pre-sentence report said he was angry with himself because his offending had let his family down, and he had expessed enthusiasm for drug rehabilitation so he could ?turn over a new leaf?.

?I am told these are promises you have made before and the report writer is sceptical,? said Justice French.