A Kealba man has been jailed for 60 days for “house sitting” 61 cannabis plants at a Caroline Springs house.
Christopher Bayona, 30, pled guilty to one charge of the cultivation of a commercial quantity of cannabis, theft of electricity, possession of cannabis, and possession of a prohibited weapon, ammunition and bullets.
The County Court heard on March 20 a police search warrant on November 8, 2013, of a Braelands Close property discovered a “substantial and sophisticated crop and growing system” occupying four rooms of the house, including 61 cannabis plants weighing 96 kilograms.
78 kilograms’ of “leaves and flowering heads” were also found along with four separate bags of dried cannabis weighing 228 grams, 22 shotgun cartridges, 16 bullets and a double-edge knife.
Mr Bayona’s defence said he had been homeless after his father discovered his seven-gram a day marijuana habit and was approached by a number of Asian men to housesit the crop without paying rent.
He admitted to watering the crop twice a day.
However, Judge O’Neill rejected a forensic psychologist’s belief Bayona’s mental state (Cannabis Abuse Disorder and a Depressive Mood Disorder) affected his ability to make sound judgements.
“I am not satisfied that such was your psychological condition that you were unable to understand the nature and extent of the seriousness of your offending,” he said.
“While I accept that you were a ‘house sitter’ for others further up the criminal chain, nonetheless you made a free choice to engage in criminal activity, knowing what you were doing was illegal and involving a large and sophisticated drug crop.”
Mr Bayona was fined $500 and received a Community-Corrections Order for a period of two years.
