18 months in prison for stun gun and cannabis importation

Saturday 20 January 2018

A 27 year old man has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for importing 153g of the controlled class-B drug cannabis.

He was also given a one month sentence, to run concurrently, for possession of an illegal stun-gun.

Ambrose Wynne-James was arrested after being stopped by customs officers in Guernsey as he arrived onboard a Condor ferry in June 2017. His bag was searched and the cannabis was found. The stun gun was then found during a search of a property in the island.

The cannabis resin was in two blocks, and had a Guernsey street value of between £3,080 and £4,600. However Wynne-James' defence argued it was only for personal use. It was said he used it to self medicate for ADHD in order to be able to work a full time office job.

The defence said Wynne-James had used a number of prescribed solutions to try and deal with his attention deficit disorder, however he suffered side effects, so returned to using the controlled drug, although he did admit he knew it was illegal.

Wynne-James was in Brighton visiting friends when he purchased the cannabis. He then travelled back to Guernsey through Portsmouth. His defence lawyer said he had been "stressed" and "panicked about the situation", and "considered throwing it into the sea several times" while on the vessel. It was also stated that the low price of the resin in the UK was what convinced him to make the purchase.

The stun-gun found at Wynne-James' address was a "toy he had purchased in Thailand", and he said he was not aware it was illegal. It had remained in a drawer for a number of years. The weapon was sent to the UK for examination ahead of the trial and was confirmed to be classed as dangerous. 

In sentencing, the court said it had been very generous in giving many discounts to Wynne-James, as the usual sentence for the amount of cannabis he was carrying is between three and six years in prison. The court said it did not accept the quantity of cannabis was only for personal use.

The confiscation and destruction of both items was also ordered.