‘Wolf of Weed’ guilty over abusive emails

One of the pioneers of the medical cannabis industry in Australasia has been found guilty of intimidation and posting harmful digital communications.

Ross Henry Smith, who refers to himself as the ‘‘Wolf of Weed Street’’, was found guilty of two charges laid under the Harmful Digital Communications Act, relating to emails in which he mocked the appearance of a woman involved in his failed medical cannabis venture, and a lawyer who represented some of the investors.

The charges carry a maximum penalty of two years’ imprisonment and a fine of $50,000.

Smith was also found guilty of intimidating one of the investors by sending him a text message threatening to pay the Mongrel Mob $10,000 to send a team to his house. That charge was laid under the Summary Offences Act and carries a maximum penalty of three months’ imprisonment and a fine of $2000.

Another charge of breaching a Digital Communication Order was dismissed.

Smith, who is living in Thailand, will be sentenced in July.

Smith’s judge-only trial was held in the Tauranga District Court in February but Judge Peter Rollo has only just delivered his decision.

At the trial, the court heard a medical cannabis company Smith founded called Medicann failed and was wound up. Smith took issue with what had happened with the company and sent the abusive and insulting emails and the threatening text.

Judge Rollo suppressed the names of the victims and the details of the abusive emails.

In texts sent to an investor in May 2019, Smith claimed a former executive from Medicann had been driving past his house.

‘‘So you send [name suppressed] around to my place to intimidate my wife. I will pay $10k to the Mongrel Mob to send a team around to your house tonight,’’ Smith wrote.

He told police the text was sent out of frustration: ‘‘Just to be clear, I don’t know anyone from the Mongrel Mob’’.

The two female victims testified that Smith’s abuse had caused them to fear for their safety.

Giving evidence in his defence, Smith said the emails were a ‘‘joke’’ and were sent out of frustration and anger.

He blamed Asperger’s Syndrome for the way he reacted.

Smith said he would often ‘‘rant’’. ‘‘It’s how I get things off my chest, it makes me feel better, otherwise I’d be up on top of the post office tower doing crazy stuff. It’s very frustrating, all through this I’ve been demonised and victimised.’’