An Alexandra man was the architect of his own downfall when a theft prompted police to search his home, revealing a cannabis-growing operation and other offending.
The items belonged to someone who was storing them at the property with the owner’s permission.
Low messaged the victim’s partner to say he had taken the items in retaliation for an unpaid debt, and threatened the victim.
That prompted a complaint to the police, who found the stolen items when they searched the defendant’s home on March 30.
The search opened a Pandora’s box of other offending, including a cannabis grow room in a garden shed and a large amount of cannabis head kept in various rooms of the house.
Also found was a small growing operation in a wardrobe, a set of scales and bags for packaging the drug, three bongs, a .22 rifle with its serial number filed off, ammunition for the rifle and some shotgun shells.
When officers seized his cellphone, Low refused to provide the access code.
Low appeared for sentencing in the Queenstown District Court this week on charges of theft, intimidation, possessing cannabis, cultivating cannabis, possessing cannabis utensils, failing to assist police with a search, unlawfully possessing a firearm, and unlawfully possessing ammunition.
He was also sentenced on two charges of aggravated suspended driving, on November 19 and 22, in Alexandra.
Judge Duncan Harvey said he had intended to keep Low in prison "for a considerable time", but was swayed by the fact he had already spent 13 weeks in custody, which was equivalent to a six-month prison sentence.
On all charges he sentenced Low to 250 hours’ community work and 12 months’ supervision.
