Drug plants at beach

Press, 22 January 1982, Page 5

Drug plants at beach

A woman who. in company with a man. was seen by a police patrol in an isolated area at Motunau Beach on December 29 placing cannabis plants into a chilly bin. from a wooden box hidden under a bush, admitted three drug offences when she appeared in the District Court yesterday. The defendant. Linda Jane Haines, aged 24. unemployed, pleaded guilty to a joint charge with Christopher Anker of cultivating cannabis at Motunau Beach, and separate charges of cultivating cannabis at premises in Forfar Street, and possessing a plastic soft drink bottle for an offence under the Misuse of Drugs Act. She was convicted of the charges and remanded on bail to February 11 for a probation report and sentence.

Sergeant J. E. Dwyer said a police patrol in an isolated area near Motunau Beach come upon a parked car and kept it under observation.

A short time later the defendant and another person emerged from an area of thick scrub, carrying a chilly bin. shovel, and back pack. The two were seen placing cannabis plants into the chilly bin. from a.box hidden under a bush. They then walked off through the undergrowth and police followed, but they spotted the police car further along the road and both turned and ran back towards their car. They were apprehended and 17 recently watered cannabis plants, about Bin high, were found in the chilly bin.

Plant food and a water bottle were found in the pack.

The defendant said they intended to plant out the plants. She admitted that they had planted out two other plots of 12 plants, in the area where they had come from. Their joint flat in Forfar

street was searched and in the rear garden four healthy plants were found, and a small quantity of dried material was found in a hot water cupboard, a plastic soft drink bottle was also found, with the base cut off and a mouthpiece attached to the side. The bottle smelt strongly of smoked cannabis. The ' defendant admitted going to the Motunau Beach area with another person to plant out the cannabis plants, and said that cannabis found at the flat at Forfar Street was hers and she had grown them from seed and watered . them.

The plastic bottle was also hers and she had used it to smoke cannabis.

Anker, aged 29. pleaded not guiltv to a joint charge with Haines of cultivating cannabis at Motunau Beach, and a charge of permitting premises in Forfar Street to be used for cultivating cannabis.

He was remanded on bail to March 22 for a defended fixture.

Kevin John Dempsey, aged 22. unemployed, pleaded guilty to charges of forging a Canterbury Savings Bank withdrawal slip for a sum of $4OO. and false pretence by attempting to defraud the Spreydon branch of the Canterbury Savings Bank by representing that the withdrawal slip on an account w r as a good and valid order. He was convicted and remanded on bail to February 4 for sentence.

Sergeant Dwyer said the defendant took an account book from his flatmate’s bedroom and made out a withdrawal slip, on December 29. He then tried to cash the amount at the Spreydon branch but the teller became suspicious and asked him to sigh the back of the form. The defendant became angry and threw a nameplate' at the manager, hitting his glasses, and then left.