63-year-old sentenced for marijuana

Richard Thomas, who police found with 610 seedling marijuana plants, was sentenced to two years imprisonment. That sentence was however suspended for two years.

That means the 63-year-old offender will only serve the jail time if he commits another offence within the next two years.

Magistrate Ayanna Baptiste-DaBreo said she handed that sentence based on the offender’s age and the fact that he underwent drug counselling.

“It is not my intention to put a man of 63 years in prison,” she said.

Meanwhile, Magistrate DaBreo also fined the offender $750 for possession of 10 grams of marijuana seeds.

Thomas, who is represented by attorney Ruthilea Maximea, has until September 18 to pay the sum or serve two months in prison.

While lobbying for a non-custodial sentence for her client, the defence attorney told the court that Thomas will “never go back to cultivating that kind of plant”.

In the meantime, allegations were not read aloud when Thomas appeared for his sentencing hearing recently.

BVI News Online however understands that, in June 2015, law enforcers executed a search warrant at a residence occupied by Thomas and Wilbert Pickering who was also charged.

During the search, police discovered the plants and both men were arrested.

Pickering was implicated during the drug bust, but he was not made to plead on account of him being ‘mentally unfit’.