Cannabis grower asks judge for 20 years jail but only gets 13

[Frazz]

A MAN who grew one of Australia's largest cannabis crops so he could fund a nationwide anti-abortion protest has told a court he has no regrets.

 

Michael Bennett Gardner Snr, 58, told the Supreme Court in Brisbane today that he wished he had grown at least another 15 acres of the drug before he was caught in mid-2008.

 

He then took the unusual step of urging the judge to jail him for the maximum of 20 years for the charge of trafficking, to which he pleaded guilty, saying his crime was "the top level of offending".

 

However, Justice Roslyn Atkinson, who described the offending as "evil", agreed with the prosecution that Gardner should be sentenced to 13 years' jail.

 

Gardner called Justice Atkinson a "tyrant" after she handed down her sentence.

 

The court heard Gardner was the kingpin of a massive cannabis production scheme he ran from his property at Inglewood, in southeast Queensland, between 2004 and 2008.

 

When police raided the property they found 6.5 tonnes of harvested marijuana and 22,000 plants worth $69 million.

 

They also found weapons, lookout camps and extensive infrastructure on the property.

 

The court heard Gardner used his young stepchildren as slave labour for the enterprise, forcing them to sow and weed thousands of plants when they should have been at school.

 

Gardner would dry the cannabis crops in various tents and sheds spread across two thirds of his mountainous property and pack saleable quantities and secret them in large mental drums for transport.

 

He would then dress up like a hippie, as a disguise, when he transported the drugs over the border into the NSW town of Nimbin for sale.

 

Gardner even organised the sale of a unseized cannabis harvested before the raid on the property for $280,000 from behind prison walls.

 

The court was told Gardner sank up to $500,000 he earned through his illegal drug trade back into his operation to boost the production and yield of each crop.

 

A crotchety and ill-humoured Gardner had just moments earlier told the court Queensland’s strict drug laws and penalties were baseless and of no relevance in a world and time when abortions could be freely obtained via clinics who advertise in the Yellow Pages.

 

Gardner, during 20-minute speech of questionable relevance to his court proceedings, proclaimed he had no regrets at all for growing more than 3.5 tonnes of cannabis and planned to do it again in his bid to stop the senseless "slaughter'' of pre-natal Australians.

 

"It is unfair to wilfully kill another human life,'' he told the court.

 

“I highly object to living in a culture … that (terminates) pre-natal human life.

 

Gardner told the court on Wednesday that he was in a unique position to argue against abortion as he could remember his time in the womb.

 

Gardner must serve 80 per cent of his jail term before he is eligible for parole.

 

He has already served almost four years in pre-sentence custody.

 

Date: June 13, 2012 3:54PM

Source: Couriermail.com.au & Christine Flatley, Australian Associated Press

Copyright: © 2012 News Queensland & © Australian Associated Press 2012

http://www.courierma...f-1226394342953

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Takes all kinds i guess

 

[brick]

fucking fruit cake

[everest]

wow , i thought i was out there ..

 

ev

[The Hash Nibbler]

Nuttier than a friggin snickers bar......geebus.......

[Stix87]

this sicko even made his step kids work on the farm didnt go to school forcred labour also killed the kids pets infront of them sicko needs jail time ha ha

[Budzzz]

Words that come to mind when reading the article are unhinged, flipped out, demented, touched, mental, deranged, and maniac.

And finally:

What a prick, the judge should have obliged him and give him the 20yrs he wanted!

[buzzo]

6.8 Tonnes....holy shit!