Petrie bodybuilder Jacob Mitchell Wittleton sentenced for supplying cannabis

A court has heard a former bodybuilder decided to grow his own cannabis because he “didn’t like buying from dealers”.

A former bodybuilder has faced court over a raft of charges including producing and supplying dangerous drugs.

Petrie man Jacob Mitchell Wittleton, 30, pleaded guilty to seven charges in the Pine Rivers Magistrates Court on Friday (September 17) after he was found with a “relatively large amount of cannabis”.

The court heard the cannabis was uncovered by police at a Petrie home on June 5.

According to documents tendered to the court, officers also found grow tents, fans, air purifiers, lights, fertilisers, scales, a hand held grinder and a glass pipe.

Jacob Mitchell Wittleton leaving Pine Rivers Magistrates Court.

His lawyer Andrew Stewart said Wittleton had been growing cannabis for about three months.

“There were some plants in his property,” he said.

“It’s the first time he’d ever grown cannabis indoors, he’d previously grown one plant outside which was the bulk of the items found.”

The court heard officers also found testosterone in a drawer in the house.

“The testosterone that was found was given to him some years ago, he was doing some bodybuilding at the time,” Mr Stewart said.

“He believed there were two or three vials but one was broken and he doesn’t take any issue with the number (reported by police).”

Wittleton was also charged with one count of supplying dangerous drugs, which his lawyer said was “effectively supplying to a mate of his”.

“It was one or two supplies to one person, there was no commerciality in my submission,” he said.

Jacob Mitchell Wittleton.

Mr Stewart said Wittleton had used cannabis, off and on, since he was 18, most significantly after a recent relationship break-up.

“He didn’t like buying from dealers because he didn’t like the crowd which he would be with if he did so, and the other things it might lead on to,’’ Mr Stewart said.

“He grew cannabis for a personal use, he was smoking a fair bit at one point.”

The court was told he had been a “fairly regular user’’ for the past two years.

Mr Stewart said Wittleton was now employed full-time as a labourer and scaffolder and was about to study for his “tickets’’.

“That will involve random drug testing, so he has a real incentive not to partake in cannabis any further,” Mr Stewart said.

“He does smoke late at night occasionally, but he tells me he has reduced his use of cannabis on a significant basis to what he was using previously.”

Acting Magistrate Patrick Murphy said he took into account Wittleton’s early plea of guilty.

“It seems to me that the appropriate sentence is one of a fine,” he said.

“If you come back, the same leniency won’t be extended to you I can assure you.

“Let’s not see you again.”

He was fined $1500 for all charges.

No convictions were recorded.