Teen's "naivety and stupidity" lands him in court

Tuesday 19 May 2020

An 18-year-old has been given a two-year suspended sentence after he was involved with importing more than 200g of cannabis resin into the island.

Jack Le Couvey, 18, came "within a whisker" of going to Les Nicolles Prison after trying to import cannabis into the island using a relative's address.

Instead of facing immediate custody, Le Couvey has been handed a two-year suspended youth detention sentence, which will be triggered if he commits any relevant new offences in the next three years. 

His offences came to light after a package containing 204g of cannabis resin, which he had addressed to a relative of his, was intercepted by the postal service. 

Le Couvey granted Guernsey Police access to his phone, which revealed attempts to import another similar package, also thought to be a similar quantity of cannabis resin.  

His Advocate David Thompson said his client was a kind, helpful and pro-social member of the community who had "got involved with the wrong crowd", saying it was a "tragedy" that a young man with "such potential and a loving and supportive family" had been "manipulated" into a drug trafficking operation. 

Pictured: The Bailiff Richard McMahon said the defendant had "a lot of growing up to do".

He had only just turned 18 when he committed the offences in October 2019 and his character references suggested that his actions were "unbelievably out of character".

"Above all he has shown genuine remorse for his actions and wants to make changes for the better," said Advocate Thompson. 

Le Couvey, in a letter to the Court, said: "I spent too much time with people who took advantage of my naivety and stupidity."

Bailiff Richard McMahon said Le Couvey deserved credit for facing up to his actions and noted that he had a low likelihood of reoffending.

He said cannabis is an "unwelcome scourge" on society and Le Couvey's punishment needed to act as a deterrent to others.

Any suggestion that Le Couvey had been duped or threatened into the drug trafficking operation "downplayed" his own involvement, the Court ruled.

Mr McMahon and the Jurats decided on a two-year suspended sentence in the hope that the prospect of a prison sentence hanging over him will encourage him to "grow up" and understand the consequences of his actions. 

"Although you are a young man, you still have a lot of growing up to do," said Mr McMahon. "You are not going to Les Nicolles today, but you gave come within a whisker of doing so."