A Mabaruma man, said to be a father of ten, was sentenced to three years in prison yesterday after telling a city court that he was going to smoke the cannabis police had found in his possession.
Peter Silvane, 54, admitted that he had in his possession 17 grammes of cannabis on July 9. He was charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking in the light of the amount of the drug he was found with, but Silvane said he was going to smoke it all.
Police Prosecutor Deniro Jones told the court that on the day in question, a police constable joined a car with Silvane. While in the car, the policeman observed that Silvane was acting in a suspicious manner. As a result, when they got to the police station, he asked Silvane to exit the car.
In the station, a search was conducted on Silvane and police found a transparent plastic bag with the cannabis.
According to Jones, Silvane was cautioned and he told the police that he didn’t sell the drug, he only smoked it.
When Silvane was given a chance to speak, he told the court that he normally smoked the drug and at the time when he was caught he was on his way home to do just that.
Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, who presided over the case, sentenced Silvane to three years prison time and fined him $30,000.
