A father of two who legally pocketed up to £16,000 in state benefits because he smokes cannabis was condemned by a judge today.
Paul Holland, 21, who has been smoking the drug since he was ten said it made him depressed and he had been prescribed anti-depressants as a result.
But his condition meant he was able to claim £60 a week incapacity benefit on the grounds his illness has made him unable to work since he left school at 16.
He also has a six-month-old baby with a long-term medical problem.
At Burnley Crown Court, a senior judge condemned the payments at taxpayers' expense after Holland appeared before him over a cannabis farm he grew at his home in Church, near Accrington in Lancashire.
Judge Heather Lloyd told him: 'No doubt a significant part of your problems are caused by excessive use of cannabis.
'I'm not a doctor, but there is plenty of medical evidence to show it is not uncommon for depression and anxiety, which could lead to paranoia, to be found with cannabis use.
'You could do something about your problems whilst others who may have been born with health difficulties couldn't.
'I find it astonishing that somebody who may be self inflicting these problems upon themselves is able to get incapacity benefits at this level.'
She gave Holland 26 weeks in prison, suspended for two years, with 12 months supervision and 80 hours unpaid work. He must pay £100 costs.
Back at home Holland who lives with his mother said: 'I'm not prepared to talk about this.'
But the court heard how he suffered depression and drinking since he was 13 and had been on state handouts since he left school.
He had been arrested after police acting on a tip off raided his home and found a 250 plant cannabis factory.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z1PZyY3dDq
Horticulture is good occupational therapy
Horticulture is good occupational therapy
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”
Re: Horticulture is good occupational therapy
Last edited by loCAtek on Wed Jun 29, 2011 12:58 am, edited 2 times in total.
Re: Horticulture is good occupational therapy
...which of course means that the article is completely made-up! 
Why is it that when Miley Cyrus gets naked and licks a hammer it's 'art' and 'edgy' but when I do it I'm 'drunk' and 'banned from the hardware store'?
Re: Horticulture is good occupational therapy
Wow £16,000 in state benefits because he smokes cannabis?
Has anyone heard if ed is emigrating yet?
Has anyone heard if ed is emigrating yet?
Bah!
Re: Horticulture is good occupational therapy
'Hard-up' Hyndburn cannabis grower gets suspended sentence
Lancashire Telegraph - 18 hours ago
A DRUG user set up a 250-plant cannabis factory at his home because he could not afford to pay dealers, a court heard. Father-of-two Paul Holland, 21, ...
http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/ne ... _sentence/
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”
Re: Horticulture is good occupational therapy
Sean wrote:...which of course means that the article is completely made-up!
..that it's bent.
Re: Horticulture is good occupational therapy
A JUDGE highlighted the crazy way Britain lavishes handouts on drug users after a cannabis smoker who has scrounged £16,000 since leaving school said his habit’s side- effects left him unable to work.
Father-of-two Paul Holland, 21, who has used it since he was 10, claims it makes him so depressed he has to sit at home and pocket £60 a week in disability benefit.
But a judge condemned the payments after hearing how Holland was blatantly cultivating an illegal cannabis farm at his home in Church, near Accrington, Lancs.
Read more: http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/253 ... z1PbMYY7cN
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”
Re: Horticulture is good occupational therapy
Wow. £60 quid a week AND a 250 plant farm going.
I can hear tickets being booked as I type.
I can hear tickets being booked as I type.
Bah!
Re: Horticulture is good occupational therapy
Another tabloid? Lord save us from yellow journalism and gossip rags, masquerading as news.
Re: Horticulture is good occupational therapy
then feel free not to participate in threads that you are not interested in.loCAtek wrote:Another tabloid? Lord save us from yellow journalism and gossip rags, masquerading as news.
It would make it so much more pleasant for everyone.
Bah!
Re: Horticulture is good occupational therapy
I'm interested in facts and busting myths masquerading as facts.
It's a free board, or isn't it?
It's a free board, or isn't it?
Re: Horticulture is good occupational therapy
I can't finds a single legitimate, non-tabloid source for this article. Are all facts being reported unbiasedly? We don't know....
Re: Horticulture is good occupational therapy
So Lo's "busting myths masquerading as facts", boils down to her telling us she cannot find anything to disprove the three news reports linked to.
Wow!! That's us told then!!
Wow!! That's us told then!!
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”
Re: Horticulture is good occupational therapy
The Burnley Crown Court law listings and sentencing will be up on this website within a few weeks of the court case.
You'll be able to review it under "sentencing".
In the meantime, any evidence to the contrary can be posted when you collect it. Until then you just look like you want to disrupt a thread you really have no interest in and for no point other than to cause disharmony.
You are even trying to claim "myth busting" when you were engaging in no such act.
Please stop it.
You'll be able to review it under "sentencing".
In the meantime, any evidence to the contrary can be posted when you collect it. Until then you just look like you want to disrupt a thread you really have no interest in and for no point other than to cause disharmony.
You are even trying to claim "myth busting" when you were engaging in no such act.
Please stop it.
Bah!
Re: Horticulture is good occupational therapy
loCAtek as "mythbuster".
Ya gotta love it.
Ya gotta love it.
Reason is valuable only when it performs against the wordless physical background of the universe.
Re: Horticulture is good occupational therapy
The three tabloids quoting each other verbatim, you mean ...really?
Um, the Law Pages homepage ain't much help.
Um, the Law Pages homepage ain't much help.
Re: Horticulture is good occupational therapy
Do you know the meaning of the word "verbatim"? Obviously not.
Mythbusting evidence given so far, nil.
Mythbusting evidence given so far, nil.
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”
Re: Horticulture is good occupational therapy
Come on, Gob. Get serious.
You're actually suggesting that people who use words ought to know what those words mean?
Get a grip.
You're actually suggesting that people who use words ought to know what those words mean?
Get a grip.
Reason is valuable only when it performs against the wordless physical background of the universe.
Re: Horticulture is good occupational therapy
There are six squares on the page. You click on the one entitled "Sentencing" as I advised in my previous post, and you can look up every case.
Please try and comprehend what you are reading.
Please try and comprehend what you are reading.
Bah!