A Bay pensioner who had a heart attack the day she was arrested for running a large-scale cannabis operation in her garage has been sentenced to nine months' home detention.
Sheryl Margaret Kingi, 65, who earlier admitted charges of cultivating cannabis and possession of cannabis for supply, was also sentenced to 175 hours' community work in Tauranga District Court yesterday.
When police searched Kingi's then-Rotorua home on June 11 they found a sophisticated commercial growing set-up containing 119 plants, 30 seedlings, and 2.37kg cannabis, worth about $108,150.
Lawyer Des O'Connor said his client was receiving medical treatment after suffering a heart attack on the day she was arrested and chronic lung disease.
Mr O'Connor said Kingi's drug offending, which came as a total surprise to her friends and family, had come on the heels of her marriage break-up and her inability to continue to be involved in employment activities, and possibly a bout of depression.
Judge Peter Rollo said the usual sanction for such large scale offending would be prison, but he was prepared to step back from that given Kingi's lack of prior convictions, good character, expressions of remorse and her personal circumstances.
- Sandra Conchie of the Bay of Plenty Times
