Police have charged a Canberra tradie with drug possession after seizing an alleged 0.004 grams of cocaine from his phone case. The four thousandth of a gram was allegedly made up of a mixture of cocaine and an unidentified "brown substance". The 22-year-old man has pleaded not guilty and a two day hearing has been listed for next year. His lawyer Sarah Boxall told The Canberra Times it was disappointing the resources of the ACT justice system were being devoted to such a "frivolous" prosecution. The tradie attracted the attention of officers one night last February after an altercation with another man outside Cube nightclub in Civic. Police allegedly told him: "Mate, your eyes are huge". "Yeah I've already taken the drugs what are you going to do about it?" it's alleged the man replied. "It's for personal use there's nothing you can do about it." Police searched the man and seized his phone, which they said had a "significant" amount of white powder on its case. The quantity, police said, was more than merely residue. When the lab tests came back showing the alleged 0.004 gram mixture of cocaine and "brown substance", police charged the tradie with possession and breaching an earlier sentence order. Ms Boxall, from Boxall Legal, said criminal convictions can have devastating and lifelong effects, even for offences that seem trivial. "It is extremely disappointing to see the finite resources of the ACT justice system devoted to such a frivolous prosecution," she said. "However, if common sense does not prevail, I look forward to defending my client at hearing."
Police have charged a Canberra tradie with drug possession after seizing an alleged 0.004 grams of cocaine from his phone case.
The four thousandth of a gram was allegedly made up of a mixture of cocaine and an unidentified "brown substance".
The 22-year-old man has pleaded not guilty and a two day hearing has been listed for next year.
His lawyer Sarah Boxall told The Canberra Times it was disappointing the resources of the ACT justice system were being devoted to such a "frivolous" prosecution.
The tradie attracted the attention of officers one night last February after an altercation with another man outside Cube nightclub in Civic.
Police allegedly told him: "Mate, your eyes are huge".
"Yeah I've already taken the drugs what are you going to do about it?" it's alleged the man replied.
"It's for personal use there's nothing you can do about it."
Police searched the man and seized his phone, which they said had a "significant" amount of white powder on its case.
The quantity, police said, was more than merely residue.
When the lab tests came back showing the alleged 0.004 gram mixture of cocaine and "brown substance", police charged the tradie with possession and breaching an earlier sentence order.
Ms Boxall, from Boxall Legal, said criminal convictions can have devastating and lifelong effects, even for offences that seem trivial.
"It is extremely disappointing to see the finite resources of the ACT justice system devoted to such a frivolous prosecution," she said.
"However, if common sense does not prevail, I look forward to defending my client at hearing."
