Photo: SuppliedA Dunedin man who grew nearly $80,000 of cannabis has swapped his prison cell for his mother’s house after a successful appeal. But, before the High Court at Dunedin last month, Justice Rachel Dunningham reduced that sentence to six and a-half months’ home detention, taking into account the five months Brown had spent behind bars. He argued a recent Court of Appeal decision which opened the door for methamphetamine offenders driven by their addiction to have lowered sentences did not apply. While Justice Dunningham agreed, she pointed to a cultural report on Brown which raised issues that underpinned his descent into crime. Given that background, Justice Dunningham said home detention was the appropriate outcome.

Source: Otago Daily Times January 07, 2020 15:33 UTC