Union official on drug supply charge

Press, 12 October 1979, Page 4

Union official on drug supply charge

On his first attempt at growing cannabis for his own use an official of the New Zealand Engineers' Union had an astonishing strike with the plants which grew 3.35 metres (lift) tall ■nd were stretched along the rafters of the glasshouse, Mr Justice Casey and a jury were told in the Supreme Court yesterday. Stephen William McLeod, aged 30, a union official, and Michele Geraldine Dorman, aged 29, his de facto wife, have pleaded not guilty to a joint charge of possession of cannabis for supply. Mr D. J. L. Saunders appears for the Crown, and Mr P. H. B. Hall and Miss I. Mitchell for both accused Who have pleaded not guilty. The trial will finish today. Opening his case Mr Saunders said that on Friday, May IL. detectives executed a search warrant on the home of both accused in Reginald Avenue. Dorman admitted the police, who asked if there was any cannabis in the house. After some evasive gnswers she went to the main bedroom and pulled a blue-carrying bag from tnder the bed. The bag contained plastic bags filled with cannabis. Dorman denied that there was any pther cannabis in the house. When Detective B. G. Burrows told Dorman that if kny more cannabis was found a police dog would be failed she went to the kitthen and produced a tin tontaining cannabis cigarette butts which she claimed she kept for her own use. A further bag of cannabis was found in the kitchen »nd a large grey-carrying fag containing the plant was seated in the bedroom. Dorman said that she did not tnow it was there. In a bedside cabinet the found three botI'es containing cannabis and also an envelope tf three cannabis sticks. Dorman claimed she was unaware of the items which Sere found during the rarch. Dorman made a written Statement in which she said

; that she and McLeod hadli ; planted a number of can- ; i nabis seeds in the glass- ; ' house at the back of their ■ : section. When the plants i were harvested they were i I put In plastic bags after ' ; being dried in a bedroom ■ • cupboard. That was done to ■ prevent the cannabis from 1 : going mouldy. Dorman denied that she 1 . and McLeod had sold any of ' 1 the drug and said it was ] , all for their own use. • Detective Sergeant B. W. ] ’Goodwin interviewed 1 McLeod at the offices of the ] Engineers’ Union and told;' ; him that cannabis had been; I discovered at his home. ■ In a written statement ] 1 I .McLeod accepted responsibility for having planted and ) cultivated the cannabis. It , . was the first time he had , grown cannabis and to his j sin-prise he obtained enough , for five years supply. i When the cannabis was ; annalysed by the Depart- ; ment of Scientific and Indus- ; trial Research it was found i that there were slightly < more than 900 grams of the i material, said Mr Saunders. [ To Mr Hall Detective Ser- . geant Goodwin said that I i McLeod had strenuously de- i ■ nied that he had or intended ■ I to supply or sell the can- 1 • nabis to anyone. There was t r nothing at the home of the accused whicn indicated that ' • they were living in luxury i t but there was an expensive I > stereo set in the lounge. < ; Thete were no scales or : • other items in the house, 1 i which could have been used 1 i for weighing or measuring ’ i cannabis in the house, nor I were there any lists of : purchasers of cannabis, large i i sums of money or material i : which would normally be i i used for the wrapping of i • cannabis for sale. i i The defence case was that ■ both accused grew the can- ! nabis for their own use and ; ■ had no intention of supply1 ing or selling it to anyone, - i Mr Hal! said. < McLeod said in evidence f ■ that he had spent some < i years at full-time and part ; s time study at university and 'he qualified at secondary < i teachers’ college with one f I unit short of a bachelor of s

’arts degree. Because no| teaching jobs were available] at the time he worked at the' glassworks at Hornby and' eventually became secretary of the Glassworkers’ Union. When that union was taken over by the Engineers’ Union he took up a similar position with it. About 10 years ago while he was attending Otago University he began smoking cannabis at student parties.] He smoked it only on a very: irregular basis because it] was expensive and was not] readily available. He had] .’been living with Miss Dor-; ’man for about two years. Some four years ago he .starred smoking cannabis more frequently because it provided some relief for a medical condition in his ear which had failed to respond to prescription drugs. The price of cannabis increased so much that he decided to grow his own supply and he also realised that as a trade union official it was a dangerous business for him to be buying illicit drugs. He used seeds found in cannabis material he had purchased. About 16 seeds were planted and 12 of them germinated. He tended the plants which were put in the glasshouse as seeds about August. 1978. On November 30 Miss ] Dorman telephoned him ini distressed condition. She] told him that a Maori had] come to their home and] stole a number of the plants.; His fears about the under- i world and the persons involved in drug dealing had been realised, said McLeod. The growth of the cannabis plants was astonishing and one grew about 81 centimetres (32 inches) in one week. They reached 3.35 metres (lift and were stretched along the rafters. The plant material was dried and placed in plastic bags sol that it would not spoil. It was his first attempt at growing cannabis and he found that he had the equivalent of five years supply. At no stage did he consider supplying or selling' the cannabis to any person,] said McLeod.