Ōamaru meth dealer gets home detention

Thursday, 27 April 2023

An Ōamaru man organised his own drug supply operation by driving to Christchurch to buy $11,000 worth of methamphetamine, the Timaru District Court heard on Thursday..

But the scheme did not have a happy ending for Jared Sven Haydon-Gliddon who was caught in possession after selling some of the drug in the North Otago town.

Although imprisonment was mentioned several times during his sentencing and the offending was described as serious by Judge Emma Smith in Timaru District Court on Thursday, he walked out with home detention and community work sentences.

The 36-year-old had pleaded guilty to charges of possessing meth for supply, supplying meth (representative) and possession of LSD.

The court heard he had driven to Christchurch in July 2022 where he met an undisclosed supplier and purchased two ounces (56 grams) of meth for $11,000.

“An ounce of methamphetamine usually retails for approximately $8000 to $9000,” the summary of facts stated.

“You did this on your own volition … it was premeditated, and you thought it all through,” Judge Smith said.

Haydon-Gliddon returned to Ōamaru where he met and supplied other persons with 17g of meth, leaving 39g in his possession.

The police summary said the meth could have derived an income of between $10,200 and $17,000. Meth was a highly addictive Class A controlled drug which at street level retails in various quantities, but most commonly in 0.2, 0.25, 0.5 and 1 gram bags, it said.

“A methamphetamine addiction is very expensive, and many users resort to criminal means to support such an expensive addiction,” the summary said.

“The New Zealand police see it as a key driver in crime.”

When police searched a vehicle in Ōamaru the defendant was in, they located the 39g of meth separated into five snap lock bags plus a quantity of cash, six LSD tablets, two flick knives (one was in Haydon-Gliddon’s belt line) and cannabis.

Haydon-Gliddon had $1450 cash in his pockets and there was $1700 in the centre console of his vehicle.

The summary says Haydon-Gliddon admitted travelling to Christchurch to purchase the two ounces of meth for supply. He also stated he did not smoke meth and admitted selling some of the two ounces in Ōamaru.

Judge Smith said the drugs were clearly for commercial use with the defendant saying he was not a user, adding that he had not acknowledged the extreme harm the drug can cause.

“The purpose of this was to make money.

“You would have made a significant profit.”

Judge Smith’s starting point for sentencing was 36 months jail after Crown prosecutor Nadine Girgis had submitted it should be in the 3-3½ year range.

Girgis also said the offending was commercial dealing with an element of premeditation in travelling to Christchurch to obtain the drugs.

Judge Smith said while the defendant did have previous convictions, there were none for drug use or supply.

Judge Smith allowed a 20% discount for guilty pleas that were made at a case review hearing, but said there were no other mitigating factors advanced for further reductions on the 28-29 months remaining.

“Sentencing is not a mathematical exercise though.”

Judge Smith said she believed home detention was appropriate along with a lengthy community work sentence.

Haydon-Gliddon received 12 months home detention and 200 hours community work on each of the meth charges and was convicted and discharged for possessing LSD.