Guilty verdict for two in drugs trial

Press, 4 December 1981, Page 5

Guilty verdict for two in drugs trial

After a retirement of two hours a jury in the District Court yesterday found two men guilty of a joint charge of possessing cannabis for supply. The defendants were Anthony Paul Boreham. aged 24, a barman (Mr P. B. McMenamin) and Michael Charles Hollis, aged 24, a gardener (Mr G. M. Brodie and Ms E. M. Riddiford). Judge Fraser remanded them in custody to December 17 for sentence. The two had denied the joint charge of possessing the drug for supply on July 22. The trial opened on Tuesday. and the Judge summed up yesterday morning before the jury retired to consider its verdict. Mr G. K. Panckhurst appeared for the Crown. No defence evidence was called.

The Crown had alleged that the defendants had been associated in a drug deal in which cannabis was taken from the ship Nedlloyd Fraser. A raid was made by customs officers on Boreham's home and the two defendants and two African seamen were in the house. A search disclosed 11 packages containing a total of I.Bkg of cannabis, said to be worth about $4OOO. Both men. when questioned by detectives, denied involvement in taking drugs from the ship. Boreham denied knowledge of the packages of cannabis in his house,. and said he had gone on board the vessel after hotel closing time with several others, and returned home about 1.30 a.m. He did not carry anything into the house.