'You were prepared to get involved, Mr. Steenson:' Judge
Kevin Wilson
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Apr 04/01) - A 41-year-old man from Scarborough, Ont. is the latest person serving time, courtesy of Project Guiness.
Robert Steenson, a truck driver from the Toronto suburb, pleaded guilty to two counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking. The charges stemmed from last year's massive sting operation.
During sentencing on Tuesday, court heard that on March 22 and April 3, Steenson was approached by "a local civilian agent" of the RCMP.
On each of these occasions, the informant paid Steenson $700 for two ounces of marijuana.
Noting that Steenson was gainfully employed in Ontario and had a six-year-old daughter, defence lawyer Thomas Boyd urged Mr. Justice Robert Halifax not to sentence his client to more than four months imprisonment.
Boyd added that Steenson had been "approached by an aggressive and persistent police agent who pleaded with him to help him out."
According to Boyd, Steenson did not earn a profit from his marijuana, which was for personal use. However, when the informant approached his client, he told Steenson that "I need you to give me some (marijuana), because I'm down on my luck and need to sell some."
The judge took a different view. Before sentencing Steenson, he noted that the guilty man had previously been jailed 90 days for two counts of trafficking marijuana in 1998.
"You were prepared to get involved Mr. Steenson," chastised Halifax.
The judge noted that Steenson now had four convictions for trafficking. "If it happens again," said Halifax, "you'll be incarcerated for a long time."
