L.S.D., syringe charges dismissed

Press, 31 January 1986, Page 4

L.S.D., syringe charges dismissed

Charges against a young woman of having a class A-controlled drug, lysergide (L.S.D.), and a needle and syringe for injecting cocaine, in her possession on September 20, were dismissed after a defended hearing in the District Court yesterday. The defendant, Mirie Linda Grant, aged 26, a shop proprietor, had denied these charges. On two lesser drug charges, also relating to September 20, to which she had pleaded guilty and been convicted at an earlier appearance, she received fines of $3OO and $2OO. These were for having a class B drug, cannabis preparation, and a class C drug, cannabis leaf.

She was represented by Mr T. W. Fournier at yesterday’s defended hearing. Detective-Ser-geant B. M. Roswell prosecuted. Evidence in relation to the defended charges was that police and customs officers in a search of a house occupied by Grant and another person, found lysergide (L.S.D.) and cannabis seeds in a plastic bag in a drawer of a bedroom dresser. Inside this plastic bag was a smaller plastic bag which contained a segmented square of cardboard and a microdot wrapped in tinfoil. These items were found to contain 167 micrograms of lysergide. In an unused room upstairs the officers found in a bedroom dresser, a needle and syringe

wrapped in newspaper dated July 21, 1983. The needle and syringe had not been used, and no drug residues were found on it when it was analysed.

When questioned by a detective, Grant admitted the cannabis seeds in the plastic bag were hers, but denied knowledge of the smaller plastic bag, and it contents. She said she had been given the needle and syringe by a friend two years before.

In evidence Grant said she had been given the needle and syringe by a diabetic friend as she wanted, it at the time to inject “coke.” She had never used it, and it had lain forgotten in a dresser drawer which she did not use.

She said she was not aware of the smaller plastic bag or its contents. It was not inside the larger bag, containing seeds, when she was shown that.

Judge Pain, dismissing both charges, said in relation to the charge of possession of lysergide that it had not been proved that the drug, and smaller plastic bags containing it, were in Grant’s possession.

The drug had been found in a room occupied by Grant and the other

occupant of the house. The Judge said that Grant’s obtaining the needle and syringe from a friend to inject drugs would have been an offence at the time.

However, her evidence' was that she “thought better of it" and the syringe; had not been used and. she had forgotten about it She had had it for more than two years. Her original purpose of having the syringe to inject drugs no longer - existed at September 20, the date of the charge, the Judge said. After dismissing these charges the Judge imposed fines for the lesser drug offences.; He said it was a rather depressing situation that class A, B, and C-controlled drugs, and a needle and syringe, had been found in a house in which she was an occupant.

He expressed the hope that some good had come from this matter and she had dissociated herself from activities involving drugs.

Mr Fournier said Grant had learnt from this experience and desired not to have any more dealings with drugs.