Shaun McNeill sentenced for cannabis cultivation
A south coast man transformed two of the bedrooms in his home into a sophisticated set up to grow weed so he didn’t have to buy his ‘costly’ treatment from Byron.
The South Coast News
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A Sanctuary Point man has admitted to transforming two bedrooms inside his home into grow houses to cultivate cannabis, but his lawyer has told the court it was for personal use.
Shaun McNeill was sentenced for cultivating a prohibited plant and possessing cannabis in Nowra Local Court on Tuesday, while a conviction was recorded for his possession of 0.9 grams of cocaine.
Court facts describe a “sophisticated set up” inside the home, complete with watering networks, grow boxes, filtration systems and lighting.
Police raiding the home on December 3 found cannabis leaf hanging from rafters in the roof cavity, and drying racks set up in a shed on the property.
The 53-year-old’s lawyer Brett Ford told the court his client was growing 14 cannabis plants to make cannabis oil in an effort to treat a back injury.
“He was purchasing cannabis oil from the Byron Bay region. It didn’t have illegal material in it, but it was costly,” Mr Ford said.
“He expected it would take a significant amount of plant to make a small amount of oil. That is why there is so much.
“His intention was to remove the THC from the material he was making.”
According to court documents, police seized 3.5 kilograms of cannabis, but Mr Ford said included in that weight was stems and root systems, which “make the plant heavier”.
Magistrate Lisa Viney told McNeill turning to illegal activity was not the way to treat a back injury.
“You have a significant injury which you were seeking to treat but there are other means and ways to treat injuries and resorting to illegal means of growing cannabis is not the way to go,” she said.
The court heard references for McNeill spoke of his “good character” and “role model” status as a coach of a local sporting team.
Magistrate Viney sentenced him to a nine-month intensive corrections order and fined him a total of $1800 for possessing cannabis and cultivating a prohibited plant.
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