Soldier caught out by drug texts
‘‘Sapper Mccartin was offering drugs and psychoactive substances to his comrades.’’ Lieutenant Jonathan Rowe
The life of a high-seeking drugdealing soldier hit an all-time low as he was kicked out of the military and packed off to prison.
His offending was so serious he’ll be behind bars at a Corrections-run jail, rather than a military detention centre.
Sapper Jacob Dane Mccartin admitted charges of offering to sell a psychoactive substance, procuring a class-c drug, smoking a classc drug, offering to supply a class-c drug and offering to supply a classb drug.
At a court martial at Linton Military Camp on Wednesday, Judge Anne Gaskill and a panel of three military members debated his four-month prison sentence for more than three hours.
Gaskill said the decision to send Mccartin to a public jail sent a message that drug dealers wouldn’t be let off lightly.
She said his offending was serious because of the number of charges, the period of time the offending occurred over, and the fact he offered to supply drugs to other soldiers.
A summary of facts read in court said the military police seized Mccartin’s cellphone in April. Its contents showed he was involved in a number of drugrelated offences.
On April 28, he was formally interviewed and made several admissions, including that on December 23, 2014, he offered, via text messages, to sell 10 N-bomb tabs for $250.
He also admitted that on December 24, 2014, he smoked a cannabis joint and attempted to buy more cannabis.
‘‘What’s the chance you can get an ounce at the moment?’’ he asked over text.
Another charge was for smoking a joint of cannabis at music festival Rhythm and Vines in Gisborne over New Year.
Then, on January 22, 2015, Mccartin tried to buy three cannabis tinnies.
Mccartin also admitted to offering to sell cannabis again and offering to sell two MDMA pills, all via text.
For the prosecution, navy Lieutenant Jonathan Rowe said Mccartin should be sentenced to six-months’ imprisonment and dismissed.
‘‘Sapper Mccartin was offering drugs and psychoactive substances to his comrades.’’
He referred to eight Linton soldiers who used N-bomb in 2015.
‘‘A total of six soldiers from that...were subsequently discharged from the New Zealand army.’’
Mccartin put himself and his comrades at risk when he offered to sell them drugs, Rowe said.
‘‘To retain Sapper Mccartin would send an undesirable message, his behaviour is acceptable.’’
Rowe said because of the severity of the offending, the Crown sought a term in a Corrections-run prison rather than at a military prison.
If Mccartin was sent to military prison he would still receive half his wages, but imprisonment at a public institution would see the payments stop, he said.
Defence lawyer Paul Murray said Mccartin should be sentenced to dismissal with the possibility of detention. He did not believe imprisonment was warranted.