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UK: Judge hits out at new soft sentencing guidelines that forced him to let cannabis farmer go free despite 'epidemic' Eddie Wrenn Daily Mail On-Line Wednesday 15 Feb 2012 Judge Michael Murphy said if 33-year-old Craig Cupit had appeared before him a few months ago he would have been jailed. But new guidelines from the Sentencing Council for England and Wales, which come into effect later this month, advise against jailing offenders in such cases. Judge Murphy, sitting at Sheffield Crown Court (pictured), said cannabis production in the area was happening at an 'epidemic' level Judge Murphy, one of the most senior judges sitting at Sheffield Crown Court said: 'For weeks and months I have been saying in these courts that the production of cannabis in this area is at epidemic levels yet here we are being given guidelines which completely dilute our powers.' He said the last time he dealt with a list of cases for sentence at the court, three-quarters of them involved prosecutions for the production of cannabis. The judge said he was effectively bound by the new guidelines, which attempt to make courts more consistent in their approach to sentencing. He told Cupit: 'If you had been in front of this court six months ago you would have been going to prison but the law has changed. 'Many of us find it difficult to understand why.' The court heard that police raided Cupit's home on September 29 last year and found a cannabis production set-up in his cellar. Eight plants were growing, which it was estimated would yield 896 grams of cannabis with a total street value of £8,960. Cupit, of Swinton, near Rotherham, admitted producing cannabis. His barrister Dermot Hughes said Cupit's knee was in a 'mess' and he used cannabis to alleviate the pain. He needed a replacement knee but because of his age would not get one for some time. Judge Murphy gave Cupit a 12-month community order with supervision by the probation service and ordered him to attend a victim awareness group. In a separate case, the judge said the new guidelines were 'confusing' and a 'lottery' as he gave shop owner Neil Tyler, 53, a suspended jail term for producing cannabis. Tyler, who runs an off-licence at Crookes, Sheffield was found to be growing cannabis in his cellar. 'Baffling laws': Judge Murphy said many cases before him involved cannabis production He told police: 'It's all mine and nothing to do with anyone else.' The plants seized had a street value of £3,200 but Tyler admitted it was his third attempt at growing a crop. Prosecutors claimed he had grown 24 plants which would have put him in a more serious category for sentencing of up to 26 weeks in custody. But the defence argued it was only 16 plants and he should be placed in a lesser category meriting a community penalty. Jack Danaher, defending, said: 'This had nothing whatsoever to do with financial gain, it was for his own use,' Tyler admitted producing cannabis. It was said to help him ease the pain in his leg after he was bitten by an insect while holidaying in Mexico. In deliberating on his sentence, Judge Murphy said of the guidelines: 'It baffles me and troubles me. We are trying to get some common sense out of it.' The judge added: 'Given the confusion as to where he stands on this lottery it seems to me it is not immediate custody although he passes the custody threshold.' He told Tyler to stop using the drug and said 'there are other ways of pain relief.' Tyler was given a four-month prison term suspended for 12 months and ordered to complete 120 hours of unpaid community work. A spokesman for the Sentencing Council said: 'Guidelines should be followed. 'However, where a judge feels it is not in the interests of justice to do so, they can sentence outside of the guideline and up to the maximum set out by law.' Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2101528/Judge-hits-new-soft-sentencing-guidelines-forced-let-cannabis-farmer-free-despite-epidemic.html#ixzz1mTJuIqn3
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