Judge warns on homebake making

Press, 21 November 1987, Page 7

Judge warns on homebake making

A man with convictions for dishonesty and drug offences was warned that manufacturers of homebake morphine could almost automatically expect a jail term, by Mr Justice Williamson in the High Court yesterday. His Honour jailed Christopher Raymond Field, aged 35, a sickness beneficiary, for two years on a series of drug charges. Field was represented by Mr Craig Ruane, and Mr David Saunders appeared for the Crown.

Mr Justice Williamson said that Field appeared for sentence on charges of manufacturing morphine

and having laboratory equipment for that purpose on July 3, and of attempting to make morphine on October 22. On July 3, Field was interrupted while making morphine in a house in Clifton Terrace, and laboratory equipment was seized.

The police went to a house in Heath Street, Bryndwr, on the afternoon of October 22 and apprehended Field and another person who were operating a homebake laboratory. They had reached the stage where codeine was being extracted from the tablets.

Field was a drug addict and consequently, the approach of the Court would not be the same as if he was a commercial manufacturer and dealer.

The Court of Appeal, however, had said very clearly that homebake process morphine was a comparatively new social evil and that even first offenders had to expect to be sentenced to imprisonment

The probation officer confirmed that most of Field’s offending had been drug related, that he was a drug addict and wished to seek treatment Mr Justice Williamson said.