Cannabis farmers given “one last chance” by Royal Court

Monday 09 April 2018

An uncle and nephew involved in a £31k family cannabis-growing plot have narrowly escaped prison for a second time after their foul language and bad attitudes towards community service landed them before the Royal Court and issued a stern warning by the Bailiff.

20-year-old Jobe Le Jehan and his uncle, 51-year-old Paul Louis, appeared before the Royal Court on Friday for breaching the community service orders they were sentenced to in October 2017.

A Police investigation in 2016, which included covert equipment, uncovered 15 cannabis plants - worth an estimated £8,400 to £31,500 – being grown in a field in Grouville by Andrew Louis, father of Jobe Le Jehan and brother to Paul Louis.

As the main cultivator, Andrew Louis was sentenced to two years and three months in prison by the Royal Court, but Le Jehan, who admitted helping his dad plant some of the bulbs, buying some cannabis from his dad and trying to grow his own plants at home, was given 180 hours of community service instead due to his age.  

Paul Louis was given a shorter community service order of 150 hours as he had admitted going to the field on three occasions to water the cannabis plants.

But the uncle and nephew found their way back to Court, as the Crown claims they made “significant breaches” by missing community service appointments, using offensive language and having a bad attitude.

Pictured: The Bailiff gave a very stern personal warning to Le Jehan (20), calling him to the front of the Court to speak to him personally.

Prosecuting, Advocate Richard Pedley specified that Le Jehan had not been compliant by only completing 10 hours of his service, while Louis had missed three appointments.

He urged the Bailiff Sir William Bailhache - sitting with Jurats Crill and Dulake - to sentence Le Jehan to 11 months in prison and Louis to six months in prison to make up the rest of their outstanding community service orders.

Advocate James Bell, who was defending Louis, disagreed that a custodial sentence would be the right punishment, arguing that Louis accepts he missed the appointments during some difficult times involving alcohol, but otherwise had an excellent attendance record and had engaged well with the probation officers.

Advocate Bell also told Court that a community service order would enable Louis to continue his job serving fast food, indicating that his employer had been very understanding and had even attended Court to show his support.

The Bailiff acknowledged this, telling Louis that this support from his employer helped his case, but it was one that had divided the court - one Jurat thought he should go to prison, while the other thought it was better to give him another chance.

The Bailiff told Louis that he had decided to give him another chance, saying: “Sometimes things go wrong in life and you can get into a downward spiral, and that seems to happen to you every two to three years.

The Bailiff discharged the remaining community service order and sentenced Louis to probation for two years, warning: “If you breach that, you will be brought back here and you will be sentenced. We can’t see any realistic opportunity of you avoiding prison and so this is your last chance, do take it.”

Defence Advocate Hiren Mistry also appealed for another chance for Le Jehan to serve his community service order. Advocate Mistry said that Le Jehan was remorseful for missing some of his community service appointments, but they were due to personal circumstances, and the long hours of his job as a labourer.

Handing down his sentence, the Bailiff called Le Jehan towards him, where he gave him a stern warning on the poor attitude he displayed in Court. “The way you deal with people in authority is pretty important, you are old enough to know that," he told Le Jehan.

The Bailiff decided to continue Le Jehan’s probation and community service orders, but sentenced him to redo the 10 hours he had previously completed. Le Jehan now has to complete 180 hours of community service before the end of the year or he could risk going to prison.

Sentencing, the Bailiff warned Le Jehan that he won’t get another chance, saying; “If you blow this one the court won’t see any other way to deal with you apart from a custodial sentence. Life is stretched ahead of you; it need not be full of convictions. It’s your choice.”