A man who claims he is diagnosed with Motor Neurons Disease (MND) has been convicted in Young Local Court for the possession and cultivation of drugs and firearms offences.
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Edgar Stuart John Booth, 49 of Godfrey's Creek represented himself when he appeared before Magistrate Michael O'Brien and plead guilty to possessing an unauthorised and unregistered firearm, possessing ammunition, cultivating a prohibited plant and possessing a prohibited drug.
Magistrate O'Brien convicted Booth, fined him $100 and sentenced him to a six month Community Corrections Order.
According to Mr Booth he was using and cultivating cannabis to help with his MND symptoms.
The police facts submitted to the court said that Booth believed shearers who were working on the property had stolen cannabis from him.
In court Booth said he had been very unwell and stressed out by the situation and had received threats from the people who had allegedly stolen the cannabis. Booth claimed he had 11 months to live and the people who stole the drug wouldn't have known that he was diagnosed with MND.
According to the police facts police responded to a job at Godfrey's Creek on May 30 in relation to Booth being aggressive towards shearers who had arrived on the property to commence work.
Police received information Booth was cultivating cannabis plants and had been sighted in possession of a firearm - a single barrel shotgun.
Police found the unregistered firearm that Booth had neither a licence or permit for. Booth told police that he is highly dependent on cannabis due to his medical condition and that he was a naturopath and scientist. Inquiries showed Booth was neither.
Police located a total of seven cannabis plants in Booth's back yard. Four plants were located in his veggie patch and three cannabis plants around 185cm tall were seized growing at the side of the house. Police recovered three jars of cannabis which was soaked in an unknown liquid substance.