Grower, 64, says dope ‘medicinal’

A 64-year-old man’s dope-growing operation, which supplied a ‘‘group of elderly clients’’, has been exposed.

Following a police raid on his South Taranaki home, Arthur Leslie Richardson’s supply of dried cannabis, along with 57 plants and the sophisticated set up used to grow the drug were all seized.

Richardson told police he used cannabis as pain relief for previous shoulder and back injuries and also sold it to others to use for medicinal purposes. He said he had started the illegal activity at the age of 59, just before undergoing surgery.

Yesterday, he pleaded guilty to cultivating cannabis, possession of the class C drug for supply and possession of equipment to grow it.

Defence lawyer Grant Vosseler told Judge Garry Barkle while the charges were serious, most of the cannabis was destined for Richardson’s own use or to supply a ‘‘group of elderly clients’’.

During the search of Richardson’s home in Eltham on December 22, a purpose-built secure area at the rear of the garage was found, which housed two separate cannabis grow rooms.

Along with 120 cannabis seedlings, 23 cannabis plants were found in one of the rooms. Ten of the plants were between 80 and 90 centimetres high. In the second grow room, police found 34 cannabis plants.

The rooms had tailored lighting set up and were also decked out with fans, timers and thermometers.

Near the grow rooms, police also found 27 empty plastic pots with handles, and LED lights, which were still in the packaging.

Police also seized 54 grams of dried cannabis, which was found in two paper bags.

In the laundry of Richardson’s home, a further six plastic bags were found by officers, each containing the class C drug.

Other stashes of cannabis were found hidden inside a TV cabinet in the dining area of the house.

All up, about 80g of cannabis were found.

A box of the plastic bags, digital scales and scissors used for ‘‘manicuring’’ the harvested cannabis were also found.

During a conversation with police, Richardson said he had started to grow cannabis as it was too expensive to buy.

He on-sold the drug and said he used the profits to pay his power bill, which was high due to the expense incurred by running the grow rooms.

Vosseler asked Barkle to consider sentencing his client to community work for the offending and also offered a $5000 donation to the Salvation Army courtesy of the defendant. Richardson has no previous convictions.

However, Barkle said he wanted to know more about Richardson before he sentenced him. The judge convicted the defendant and ordered a pre-sentence report ahead of sentencing on March 15.

Water search suspended

Police have suspended their water search for a second man missing at sea off the Kapiti Coast, after saying yesterday that it will likely result in a body being found, as the man was wearing dark clothing and no life jacket. Two men were the focus of an extensive rescue operation off the coast near the Otaki River mouth on Monday after the small inflatable raft they were on capsized on the river, and they were sucked out to sea. The body of a man in his 50s was found on Monday afternoon. The other man, believed to be in his 30s, remains missing. Police released a statement at 3.40pm yesterday announcing they were suspending the search, replacing it with a limited ongoing shoreline search using 4WD vehicles, continuing at low tide for the next few days.

Drink-driver on 10th charge

A recidivist drink-driver who said he was driving to get insulin has been declined bail after pleading guilty to his 10th drink-driving charge. Hastings man Michael Miele, also known as Michael Allen, was pulled over by police after they noticed his car weaving along Southampton St in Hastings at 2.25am on November 27 last year. He recorded a breath alcohol reading of 930 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath. The legal limit is 250mcg. Miele, 59, told police he had drunk too much and shouldn’t have been driving. He appeared in Hastings District Court yesterday and pleaded guilty. Judge Max Courtney remanded Miele in custody until March 16.

Last truck ride

For 7-year-old Cruz McDonald, Monday’s truck ride was meant to be his last with Dad before the school holidays ended. It turned into the last one for both of them. Early on Monday, Aaron McDonald, 37, died instantly alongside his son when their truck went off the road and down a steep embankment near Norsewood in the Tararua district. Aaron McDonald’s brother-in-law and boss, Tim Greaves, said his little nephew was born to be a truck driver. ‘‘He was mad on trucks. Cruz wanted to be like his dad,’’ Greaves said yesterday. A funeral service for the pair is expected to be held on Friday.