Cannabis grower escapes jail - for being honest (From Darlington and Stockton Times)
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Darlington cannabis grower escapes jail - for being honest
2:50pm Thursday 21st March 2013 in News
By Neil Hunter
A DRUG grower caught with a substantial crop in his home walked free from court today - for being honest.
Kevin Shields was stinking of dope when he was stopped in the street and asked by a police officer: "You have a grow in your house don't you?"
Shields led police straight to his home in Beaconsfield Street, Darlington, and a total of 54 cannabis plants were found inside, said prosecutor Sue Jacobs.
She told Teesside Crown Court that the 31-year-old said the drugs were all for himself and that it would take him six months to smoke it.
Judge Howard Crowson was initially suspicious about the claim, but said somebody who made money from dealing would not be so honest.
"Commercial cannabis growers rarely invite police into their homes," he said. "I am satisfied this was for your benefit and nobody else.
"I see quite a lot of cannabis production come before me at this court, and some of it has many of the features that your case had.
"What you should appreciate is that much of what you have done in terms of growing cannabis is also consistent with commercial dealing.
"Commercial cannabis growers go to prison, there is no other alternative, when they come before me. It is necessary people understand that.
"If that's what I felt the evidence showed, you would go to prison. The evidence in this case supports the contrary.
"Because the police believed what you said, I'm prepared to deal with you on that basis. I am satisfied it is an unusual case."
Shields was given a community order with 12 months' supervision and 100 hours of unpaid work after he admitted producing and possessing Class B drugs.
The court heard that there were no dealer lists, bags, scales or cash found in his home, and there was no evidence of dealing on his mobile phone.
His lawyer, Jonathan Harley, said it was the first time Shields had tried growing cannabis and had no idea the yield would be so high.
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Comments(7)
HM Drug Pusher
says...
8:10pm Thu 21 Mar 13
Oh Happy Days
says...
11:24am Fri 22 Mar 13
Drugs ruin lives and families!
handytrim
says...
11:49am Fri 22 Mar 13
"Dont agree, he should have been prosecuted. Until cannabis is legalised he has broken the law."
Law is the law right! just like apartheid? What if a law is fundamentally wrong and unjust and only in place through lies, deceit and corruption? And what if those same laws do not actually protect the people but actually serve to harm them more so than what they are supposed to protect them from?
"Drugs ruin lives and families!"
I agree. But the majority harm caused is not through the drug use itself but from the consequences of prohibition. Do a little research and you will plainly see that the ineffectual polices we currently employ have not worked and have indeed made matters far worse by giving rise to criminal control of drugs supply and all that goes with it, while punishing (sometimes branding someone for life) those who choose of their own free will to put something in their own bodies that could potentially do them harm...just like junk food.
The law is the law but what if the law is a complete ****...and don't say vote for change as that doesn't work as slimy politicians will say they will bring about change until they are in a position to do so and then suddenly they will have a change of heart. Corruption has a nasty way of always winning.
There is disagreeing with a law and then there is knowing that a law is in place to fill the pockets of big business and corrupt leaders. It is a disgrace that we have allowed this state of affairs to continue for as long as it has. It is high time we actually put policies in place to protect the people from criminals and not treat them as such for choosing one intoxicant over another.
Joel Dalais
says...
11:59am Fri 22 Mar 13
Yes, we have some stupid unrepealed laws in this country that are clearly just damaging and unwanted, we tend to ignore them.
Just like we should with prohibition, except mega corps make billions from it being illegal, which do you work for?
Joel Dalais
says...
12:00pm Fri 22 Mar 13
Which do you belong to?
Pawel_Si
says...
12:55pm Fri 22 Mar 13
Another point is that judge worked in favour of organised crime. Basically, if you want cannabis, you cannot grow it yourself, you need to go to the dealers and spend money.
Craz3yk says...
5:24pm Thu 21 Mar 13