N.B. soldier found guilty of drug charge

[IN HOC SIGNO]

Usual disclaimers....

N.B. soldier found guilty of drug charge
Updated Wed. Sep. 12 2007 2:33 PM ET

The Canadian Press

OROMOCTO, N.B. -- One of five soldiers from Canadian Forces Base Gagetown charged with drug trafficking has been found guilty.

A military judge made the ruling Wednesday in the court martial of Bombardier Garry Kettle, who was accused of selling a small amount of marijuana to an undercover officer.

Meanwhile, the court martial of former corporal Brian Stevens began Wednesday, but with a change of lawyer because of a disagreement between Stevens and his original lawyer.

The court has been asked for a delay to allow the new lawyer time to prepare, but the prosecution says after two previous delays, the case must proceed soon in order for there to be the perception of swift and fair justice.

Stevens claims he is suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, suffered since a tour in Afghanistan drove him to alcohol and drugs.

 

[1feral1]

...and how many citizens accross CANADA have also been found guilty today with the same charge? Humm, don't see them getting the front page do we. More media bashing about Defence.

How times have changed.

I dont buy the PTSD made me do it excuse. Throw the book at these clowns, burn their careers, and get on with it! ZERO tolerance against drugs in the CF must stand. No exceptions.


Wes

 

[IN HOC SIGNO]

...and how many citizensaccross CANADA have also been found guilty today with the same charge? Humm, don't see them getting the front page do we. More media bashing about Defence.

How times have changed.

I dont buy the PTSD made me do it excuse. Throw the book at these clowns, burn their careers, and get on with it! ZERO tolerance against drugs in the CF must stand. No exceptions.


Wes

There was a piece on the news two nights ago that we are going to mandatory drug testing in the Army too. I think that's a good thing and and should be CF wide.
I'm with you on the PTSD excuse. I know people with PTSD and they would be offended by that defence too.

 

[KevinB]

IN HOC SIGNO
  +1

 

[1feral1]

We get mandatory drug tests quarterly at the regiment, and also breathilized too.

SSM forms the Sqn up, calls out a swag of names at random, they are split into two groups, one for drugs the other for booze.

Drug trest, you piss in a cup, and the booze, they have a breathilzer right there on the spot.

Easy shyte.

Less than 15 mins, its over.


Cheers,

Wes

 

[medaid]

Charge him. His actions were disgraceful.

NO ONE, and I mean absolutely NO ONE, should be using PTSD as ANY kind of excuse. Please, have a little class and admit that you f^cked up, and move on with it.

He disgusts me...

 

[ClaytonD]

Even if PTSD did turn him to drugs, I don't see how or why that would make him sell it.

 

[Shamrock]

NO ONE, and I mean absolutely NO ONE, should be using PTSD as ANY kind of excuse.

Oh really?

 

[medaid]

Oh really?

To clarify, in the cases of committing crimes that is.

 

[ClaytonD]

I was thinking about the article and read it again, and judging by what Stevens claims, or what the article claims,

"Stevens claims he is suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, suffered since a tour in Afghanistan drove him to alcohol and drugs."

That doesn't say directly that he is using PTSD as an actual defense, it just says that he says it has made him turn to alcohol and drugs. It is known that PTSD can turn people to alcoholism and drug abuse. I dunno, I just want to avoid jumping to conclusion. Knowing me I probably missed something, but that's my 2 cents.

Either way, in the end, he did commit a crime, and he should be charged for it, and he should be punished for it.

 

[KevinB]

. It is known that PTSD can turn people to alcoholism and drug abuse.

Horseshit

People turn to Alcohol and drugs as a "coping measure" due to PTSD, the PTSD sure did not pick up a bottle and force feed it to you. 

 

[IN HOC SIGNO]

Now it's the MPs that made him do it!

Soldier claims entrapment in drug trafficking case

By KEVIN BISSETT The Canadian Press | 6:38 AM
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OROMOCTO, N.B. — A soldier who sold a small quantity of marijuana to an undercover officer was convicted Wednesday of drug trafficking, prompting his lawyer to introduce a motion claiming abuse of process.

The motion, introduced during the second day of a court martial for Bombardier Garry Kettle, alleges the soldier at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, N.B., was entrapped and seeks a stay of proceedings.

Navy Lt. Christa MacKinnon, the prosecution lawyer, said the guilty verdict issued by a military judge would be erased if the motion is granted.

"If the (motion) is unsuccessful, we’ll go onto the final stage, which is sentencing," she said.

Kettle, a member of the 4 Air Defence Regiment, was charged in April 2006 after selling a $20 bag of marijuana to the undercover officer.

A trafficking conviction carries a possible sentence of up to five years in prison.

Five soldiers were charged at Gagetown last year under the National Defence Act with trafficking in cocaine, ecstasy and marijuana.

A court martial for Brian Stevens, a former corporal and Afghanistan veteran from the Truro area, was to begin Wednesday. But it got bogged down in procedural wrangling after Lt.-Col. Troy Sweet, his lawyer, withdrew from the case, saying there had been a breakdown in their solicitor-client relationship.

Despite being assigned to the case in March, Sweet said he only met with his client for the first time this week.

Sweet said the military had difficulty finding Stevens and resorted to a search service from Halifax to find the former soldier in Alberta.

The lawyer was replaced by Richard Roach, a civilian lawyer whose Oromocto, N.B., office is not far from the base.

Roach immediately asked to have the court martial delayed until January to give him time to study 900 pages of disclosure documents and to meet with his client, who now lives in Jasper, Alta.

Maj. Jason Samson, the prosecutor in the case, opposed the delay, noting there had already been two adjournments this year. He said a January hearing would be a full year after charges were laid and would send the wrong message to the military and public about the military justice system.

Samson called Maj. Joe Hartson, Stevens’s former commanding officer of G Company, 2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment.

"We have a number of soldiers dealing with drug problems," Hartson said, "and any delay would send the wrong message . . . that (Stevens) was getting away with something."

Hartson said such a message would have a serious impact on discipline and morale of his troops as they train for their next mission in Afghanistan.

 

[GAP]

Sweet said the military had difficulty finding Stevens and resorted to a search service from Halifax to find the former soldier in Alberta.

As in bounty-hunter?

 

[GUNS]

PTSD may have some influence on ones decision to use drugs or alcohol as a means to deal with the problem.

PTSD can not be used as a defence for trafficking in drugs.
IMHO

 

[ClaytonD]

Horseshit

People turn to Alcohol and drugs as a "coping measure" due to PTSD, the PTSD sure did not pick up a bottle and force feed it to you. 

Sorry Infidel, I should have clarified what I meant and looked over how I was saying it, but you are totally correct and that's basically what I had in mind when I posted.