Tuesday, May 16, 2017
Since Sept 27, 1879
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THE INDEPENDENT VOICE OF MID CANTERBURY
And they’re off . . . Borough School students had their athletic abilities tested yesterday at the school’s cross country.
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P4 PHOTO JAIME PITT-MACKAY 150517-JP-035
Meth addict jailed nearly two years A self-confessed methamphetamine addict has been jailed for 22 months. Jessica Jeni Sutherland appeared before Judge Joanna Maze in the Ashburton District Court yesterday for sentencing on charges of offering to supply methamphetamine and cannabis, three counts of fraud, four of petrol thefts, one of theft, unlawfully taking a motor vehicle and careless use of a motor vehicle. Some of the charges were incurred while Sutherland was on bail for earlier offending. Text messages from Sutherland’s cellphone showed she had offered to sell methamphetamine seven times, although on two occasions the substance offered was not in fact methamphetamine. The amount of methampheta-
mine sold came to 1.7gm. She offered cannabis six times, totalling 2.5oz. When arrested Sutherland admitted using a meth pipe in her possession earlier in the day. Her lawyer Lee Lee Heah said Sutherland’s problems began with an inappropriate and abusive relationship and ended in addiction – which resulted in the subsequent offending. Heah asked the court to consider her client’s age and previous good character in sentencing for what she called “low level drug dealing”. The 24-year-old has been in custodial remand in Christchurch Women’s Prison for four months pending yesterday’s appearance, where she has been accessing services to help her address her addiction, Heah said.
Sutherland’s other offending included taking and hiding a motor vehicle, fraudulently offering goods on social media buy-and-sell pages and petrol drive-off thefts worth in excess of $450. The Crown was looking for a sentence of up to four years’ imprisonment, however Judge Maze was persuaded to hand down the 22-month sentence after taking into account a 25 per cent discount for Sutherland’s early guilty pleas and lack of previous history. Judge Maze granted Sutherland leave to apply for home detention should a suitable address become available. She will be released under special conditions which will include counselling and other programmes and courses as directed by Probation Services. More Court, P4
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