A Fernhill man narrowly avoided a prison term when he was sentenced in the Queenstown District Court by Judge Alison McLeod yesterday.
Erik George McBride (18), a stonemason, admitted possession of class B-controlled MDMA for supply and admitted to disorderly behaviour likely to cause violence to continue at Church St, both offences happening on September 2 in Queenstown.
Judge McLeod said McBride got into a scuffle with a member of the public after an incident at the Night’n Day about 10.30pm.
Police arrested McBride and while they were searching him they located 25 ecstasy tablets in ziplock bags in an inside pocket of his jacket.
Judge McLeod said McBride had a limited history of offending and he had since stopped using recreational drugs and alcohol.
From a starting point of 14 months’ imprisonment for possession of drugs for supply, discounts brought the end sentence to one of nine and a-half months in prison.
Judge McLeod converted that to four months’ community detention, with a daily curfew between 8pm and 6am, nine months’ supervision and 80 hours’ community work.
On the disorderly behaviour charge he was convicted and discharged, while she also issued an order for destruction of the drugs.
