Middlesbrough man sold cannabis to maintain working lifestyle (From Darlington and Stockton Times)
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Middlesbrough man sold cannabis to maintain working lifestyle
4:28pm Tuesday 27th November 2012 in News
By Neil Hunter
A MARRIED man grew and sold cannabis to keep up a lifestyle he had while he and his wife worked, a court heard.
David Colley, 48, walked free today (Tuesday, November 27) but was told by a bewildered judge: “You are old enough to know better.”
Contract worker Colley, from Middlesbrough, was told he was being spared prison because he now had another job.
“Rather than burden the taxpayer, it is better you continue in work and remain a taxpayer,” said Judge Peter Armstrong.
“You had a bad record as a younger man, but in recent years you have been doing your best to live a law-abiding life.”
Teesside Crown Court heard how a raid on Colley's home in January uncovered a cannabis farm in a utility room.
Colley told police it had been set up by another man, for whom he also sold drugs when he fell on hard times.
In an interview, he confessed that he wanted to maintain a lifestyle he had been used to after walking out on a job.
Andrew Turton, mitigating, said: “He has now resumed stability within the home as a result of his new employment.
“He realises his mistake in thinking that this was a legitimate way of getting an income. The penny has dropped.”
Colley, of Cavendish Road, admitted supplying, producing and possessing with intent to supply Class B drugs.
He was given an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, with 200 hours of unpaid community work.
Judge Armstrong told him: “Both you and your wife lost your jobs and had enjoyed a good standard of living.
“The error you made was to try to keep that up instead of tightening your belt. You tried to keep it up by illegal means.
“For you to become a cannabis dealer at your age and without any involvement in drugs beggars belief.
“Your wife must have been tearing her hair out at this.”
Comments(6)
Bass Traffic
says...
10:01pm Tue 27 Nov 12
cobraken
says...
10:52pm Tue 27 Nov 12
NO EINSTEIN wrote:what the hell are you on about:
"walked free today" this seems to be the norm these days, which idiot said the phrase "crime does not pay",
The Judge certainly sent a very strong message to the public,
"Grow and supply drugs, get caught, and walk free"
What a deterrent that is.
How about a year inside in a cold cell with basic food, then an attachment of earnings to his job when he gets out, this way he gets to pay for his stay inside, and all the legal costs, to which many of you will be saying he won't get a job, ah yes but tell him he has six months to do so, or he is back inside, and i bet he gets one then.
Oh sorry we can't do this, its against his human rights, silly me.
have you ever been trialled threw the court system,, its not nice you have no rights and you are treated like a criminal weather you are guilty or not and what for!!!!!! growing a plant that god himself gave the people, let alone the embarrassment and predispose treatment of unpaid work and re-conditioning of corporate citizenship.
Colcat
says...
11:53pm Tue 27 Nov 12
Bass Traffic wrote:A friend of mine now has a son with schizophrenia because of this "harmless" stuff.
How about a reality check? Foir a crime to be commited there must be a victim. Where was the victim in this case? The tax man? Well legalise and tax the stuff then.
DarrenJack
says...
6:52am Wed 28 Nov 12
Babs Stanley
says...
7:20am Wed 28 Nov 12
Are we so stupid in Britain that we cannot learn the lessons of history? If we prohibit something for which there is huge demand then the price rises and violent criminals become involved.
If we introduced a legally regulated system we would solve nearly all the problems around cannabis. Science proves how much safer it is than tobacco, alcohol, prescription medicines and all other recreational drugs. The evidence is that where legal regulation is introduced, consumption by children and all health and social harms are reduced.
Doctors would be able to prescribe one of the most effective medicines that has no serious side effects at all. At the moment the government has given GW Pharmaceuticals an illegal monopoly on cannabis so they make millions out of a medicine that you can grow in your greenhouse for virtually nothing.
Independent, expert research also indicates that a tax and regulate policy on cannabis would produce a net gain to the UK economy of up to £9.3 billion pa.
Our present policy on cannabis is irrational, irresponsible and dangerous. Surely, this inevitable and long overdue reform will now begin to roll out across the world.
NO EINSTEIN says...
6:10pm Tue 27 Nov 12
The Judge certainly sent a very strong message to the public,
"Grow and supply drugs, get caught, and walk free"
What a deterrent that is.
How about a year inside in a cold cell with basic food, then an attachment of earnings to his job when he gets out, this way he gets to pay for his stay inside, and all the legal costs, to which many of you will be saying he won't get a job, ah yes but tell him he has six months to do so, or he is back inside, and i bet he gets one then.
Oh sorry we can't do this, its against his human rights, silly me.