Drug offences admitted

Press, 25 February 1981, Page 4

Drug offences admitted

Nelson reporter Six charges relating to the attempted procurement and supply of cannabis, were admitted by a youth, aged 18, described as a student, when he appeared in the District Court at Nelson before Judge Headifen yesterday'. Mark Stanley' Westbrook had originally pleaded not guilty to three charges of procurement and three charges of supplying cannabis, and the defended hearing was set down for yesterday' afternoon. The police, represented by the Crown solicitor, (Mr R. B. Squire) placed alternative charges before the Court of attempting to procure and “offering to supply,” and to these charges Westbrook pleaded guilty.- The original charges were then withdrawn. He was remanded to March 3 for a. probation officer’s report and sentence. He was charged that on or about October 17, 1980, and

on two other occasions, he attempted to procure cannabis from Peter Richard Fitzgerald, and that on October 17 and two other dates he offered to supply Andrew Giffort Tait, James Baird and Philip Stanton with cannabis.

Mr Squire said that on a Friday or Saturday night in August last, Westbrook had gone to Fitzgerald’s home in Tasman Street to purchase cannabis. He paid $l2 for some plant material which was wrapped in tin foil like a cannabis bullet. He left the house, joined his friends in the car, the plant material was rolled into cigarettes and was smoked.- All the material was consumed.

In December he again went to Fitzgerald’s home to •purchase cannabis and again he received plant . material wrapped in the m'anner of a cannabis bullet. Again ..he paid >sl2 for it. Stanton was with him in the car and the material was smoked, said Mr Squire.

In October he again went

to Fitzgerald’s home to purchase cannabis but on this occasion Fitzgerald told Westbrook that he had no cannabis bullets. Fitzgerald took the defendant into a bedroom and produced a paper bag which, Fitzgerald said, contained 10 or 12 of cannabis. bought ’ a bag of this for $2O? Westbrook left z and drove back? into the. city where, in a car park, he gave the plant material to Baird who divided it up because Baird and a friend had contributed half the price of the material. A oig proportion of the material was smoked that night, said.Mr Squire. When the defendant was interviewed, he .admitted the offences/ He appeared' as the result of extensive police inquiries into cannabis dealing in. Nelson and the use of it at a local college.- Inquiries were still being made for offenders, said Mt Squire. The defendant was living with his mother and at the time of the offences was attending school, he said.*