Public Prosecutor v Toka

Supreme Court

Criminal
1500 of 2019
21 Oct 2019

Gustaaf Andrée Wiltens
Public Prosecutor
Tawi Toka
Mr L. Young for the Public Prosecutor; Ms L. Bakokoto for the Defendant

JUDGMENT

1. Mr Tawi pleaded guilty to possession of possession of cannabis substance. The maximum sentence for that offence is 20 years imprisonment and/or a fine of up to VT 1 million.

2. Mr Tawi’s quantity of cannabis is unspecific, but a blown up photograph of the contents of a match box shows the cannabis plant to equate to perhaps 10 match heads in size. It could be called microscopic. This case is clearly at the very bottom of the scale of seriousness.

3. The early plea, Mr Tawi’s relative youth (21 years of age) and taking into account the minute quantity of drugs satisfied me that the appropriate sentence for Mr Tawi was a conviction without further penalty being imposed. I saw no need for a pre-sentence report, nor any rehabilitative steps to be imposed.

4. I direct the cannabis be destroyed.

Dated this 21stday of October 2019 at Lakatoro Supreme Court

………………………………………..
Justice G.A. Andrée Wiltens