Outstanding Drug Fine Lands Man in Court
On 24 November 2009, Kevin Smith had been tried on one count of possession of illegal drugs, one count of possessing equipment for use in connection with the drugs, and one count of cultivating cannabis. He had been fined a total of $16,600 for those offences.
Mr Smith appeared in Magistrates Court this morning [Mar. 7] and asked Magistrate Warner for more time to pay. On checking the record, the Magistrate found that Mr Smith’s fines were still outstanding. Questioned by the Magistrate, Mr Smith said: “I didn’t know that I clould come back to Court and ask for more time to pay.”
Mr Smith went on to explain: “I have been having a hard time finding work. I was recently able to move back home and live in the family home. I look after my my mother who is 85 years old and I am the only person doing that. I have two new-born puppies who need handfeeding.”
Recognizing that he might well have to serve out a prison sentence, Mr Smith said that he had found and started work, for the first time in a long time, just ten days ago. He offered to commence payments on the $16,000 fine, pointing out that if he went to prison he would likely lose that job and still be unable to pay the fine.
Asked by the Magistrate how he came to Court this morning, Mr Smith replied: “In a police car.”
The Magistrate reminded him that the fine still had to be paid and that in lieu of that, he would have to serve time. Mr Smith agreed that this was so and then asked for at least two days before he went to prison so that he could order his affairs and make arrangements for his mother and the two puppies.
Magistrate Warner obliged and gave Mr Smith until 10th March 2011 to pay the fines; failing that, Mr Smith would have to serve the sentence, originally set in November 2009, of 80 days each for each of the two $800 fines and 90 days for the $15,000 fine. When Mr Smith asked, the Magistrate confirmed that the time would run consecutively.
Before leaving the Court, Mr Smith assured the Magistrate that he would be back on the 10th.
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This is terrible. If the man can’t get the money by Thursday he will end up going to jail and losing his job. So you want him to go to jail and then when he comes out he is gonna have to find another job, the first job was hard enough to find, then he has to pay that fine by a certain date. I know he did something wrong but give the man a break. Gee bie
Sorry Ray , sounds like you don’t have too much experience dealing with these kind of guys ..
He had no intention of paying the fine EVER … He’ll end up volunteering to do the time himself , trust me .
he is my father and he has been tryin really hard! he supports me in any way he can!!!! and he is not “these type of guys” he worried everyday how he was going to pay it back. unless you know what is going on do not judge!!!!!!!!