A man who was planning to supply ecstasy has been spared a jail sentence, with the Royal Court citing an “inexplicable delay” in resolving the case as a factor in the decision.
Appearing before the Royal Court for sentencing today, Kursten John Bree (49) was told he was being handed a “last chance” to avoid custody and was instead given a probation order.
Crown Advocate Paul Lee said police officers had spoken to Bree in a St Helier pub in March 2024 and seized the equivalent of ten-and-a-half MDMA tablets, with an estimated street value of £210 to £315 – Bree told officers in initial interviews that the drugs were for his personal use.
Advocate Lee said the messages indicated that Bree was involved in supplying the class A drug, albeit at a low level. He acknowledged there had been an “unjustifiable delay” in the progression of the case, with no charges brought against the defendant until June 2025, resulting in a guilty plea when he appeared in the Magistrate’s Court the following month.
After the court was told about Bree having 137 previous convictions, defence counsel Advocate Mike Preston admitted this total “sounded terrible” but that all the offences except one related to the period between 1993 and 2010, with only one drugs conviction relating to possession of a small amount of cannabis in 2003.
Advocate Preston, defending, said Bree had suffered long-standing mental-health issues dating back to childhood, and had been told he would have to wait 18 months for treatment by mental-health specialists.
While the prosecution had called for a custodial sentence of three-and-a-half years, Advocate Preston argued that such a sentence would be “absurdly harsh” for what he described as “a rather shabby handful of MDMA tablets in a pub”.
There were “compelling reasons” against custody, Advocate Preston said, as a probation order could be combined with a treatment order that would enable Bree to receive help for his long-standing issues with alcohol, while also enabling him to care for his partner and his elderly mother.
The Bailiff, Sir Timothy Le Cocq, said the panel of Jurats had “not found this an easy matter”. While aware of the need to discourage those involved with illegal drugs, he said the court would be taking an “exceptional course”, acknowledging that account would be taken of the “extended and inexplicable delay” involved in resolving the case.
Bree was told he must participate in all meetings and treatment sessions during the course of a three-year probation order, with Sir Timothy saying the Probation Service would bring the matter back to court in the event of any breach.
He added: “This is a last chance. Please don’t understand it as anything other than that – if we see you back [in court] then you must not expect the same sympathy.”
The Bailiff was presiding alongside Jurats Averty, Le Cornu, Entwistle, Berry and Gardener.