21/05/2007 00:00:00
UK: Man escapes jail term for growing cannabis
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A MAN who grew himself a kilo of cannabis in the bedroom of his home to
smoke to relieve a depressive illness has been handed a suspended prison
sentence.
Thirty-nine plants growing in a specialised hydroponic set-up were
discovered at Kean Chapman's home at Ross Street, Cambridge, after his
girlfriend "shopped" him to police, the city's crown court was told.
The 38-year-old's personal cultivating operation came to light after
police were called to the house over a domestic dispute in February last
year and Chapman's partner, Clare Nichols, showed officers the plants.
Meanwhile, Chapman had fled to Essex, where he went into a police
station and made allegations about his girlfriend and drugs.
Chapman was handed a nine month prison sentence, suspended for 18
months, for growing the drug, whose yield at almost a kilogram was
valued at more than £3,000.
The hydroponic set-up had specialised lighting, ventilation and watering
systems, Sara Walker, for the prosecution, told the court.
It was accepted that Chapman, who suffers from bipolar disorder and is
said to have attempted suicide in the past, cultivated the drug to use
for self-medication and not for supply to others.
Ms Nichols was also arrested and charged in respect of drugs offences
following the find, but the Crown Prosecution Service offered no
evidence against her when her case came to court, and she was formally
cleared.
Chapman was jailed for 12 weeks in September 2005 for growing cannabis
in the loft at his former property in Braintree, Essex.
He had used "substantial amounts" of the drug to help him cope with
chronic depression, but now realised the drug probably exacerbated his
condition, Kevin Toomey, mitigating, told the court.
Since being caught for cultivation a second time he has engaged with
psychiatric services and been given appropriate medication for his
illness, which has helped it stabilise, he added, and Chapman now no
longer uses cannabis or alcohol.
Passing sentence after reading probation and psychiatric reports, Judge
Jonathan Haworth said on the face of it the cultivation merited a prison
sentence.
But it was clear that a lot of time had elapsed since the offence, and
Chapman had reacted positively to intervention and help for his
condition, he added.
In addition to the suspended jail sentence, he imposed 18 months
probation supervision and warned Chapman, who admitted the cannabis
cultivation, that: "Should you come back to this court for any breach of
that supervision or for re-offending, you will almost certainly start
with this nine-month prison sentence."
http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/
Source:
http://www.ukcia.org/news/shownewsarticle.php?articleid=12567
Author:
Cambridge Evening News via UKCIA
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