|
Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
|
|
UK: Judge praises former boxer as he jails him for three years
Derby Telegraph Friday 01 Jun 2012 Voja Petkovic, who was once a promising light-heavyweight with Derby's One Nation club, was found with a kilogramme of cannabis and thousands of pounds in cash. A jury convicted the 27-year-old of possessing cannabis with intent to supply and possessing criminal property. He admitted possessing MDMA and cocaine. Just a short time before Petkovic was arrested, he had been released from a four-and-a-half-year prison sentence for possessing cocaine and money illegally. But Derby Crown Court heard that Petkovic was now attempting around to turn his life. Last month, the Derby Telegraph reported how Petkovic was due to enter a triathlon – within the prison walls – in which he hopes to raise over £2,000 for a drug dependency charity. Sentencing Petkovic, Judge John Gosling said: "Given the very large cash sums in his possession that day and the ease that he came by a large amount of cannabis, not long after he was released from prison, he must have had substantial links to those high in the supply chain." But the judge praised Petkovic for how he had behaved since he being remanded into custody and said there had been "a remarkable transformation". "Since being remanded you have worked tirelessly on your own addiction and organised a triathlon for people who suffer the same addiction as you," said Judge Gosling. The judge ruled that the financial benefit Petkovic had made from his criminal activity was £31,320 and ordered that he must pay this back. The court heard that Petkovic was found with the drugs on October 31 last year. Police searched a car, in which he and a man called Gurjeet Johal were sitting, at the junction of Rykneld Road and Havenbaulk Lane, in Littleover. Petkovic was handing the drugs, worth about £4,000, over to Johal, the judge said. Johal, 33, was also convicted of dealing by the jury. He had already pleaded guilty to one count of the charge relating to some smaller bags of cannabis found in his car. The judge conceded that Johal, of Brierfield Way, Mickleover, was lower down in the supply chain than Petkovic. Jailing him for a year, the judge said: "You were a relatively significant supplier of cannabis in Derby." The court heard Johal had spent many years caring for people through his job and family. Petkovic is to do the triathlon event on Friday, running for two hours, rowing for a further two hours and then cycling for two hours. The charity to benefit will be Phoenix Futures, which helps people overcome drug and alcohol dependency problems. Every pound Petkovic raises will be matched by the Prison Charity Trust. http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/Judge-praises-boxer-jails-years/story-16258624-detail/story.html
After you have finished reading this article you can click here to go back.
|
This page was created by the Cannabis Campaigners' Guide.
Feel free to link to this page!