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Yarrawonga man fined after police located 16 cannabis plants growing in backyard

By McPherson Media Group

Nov 9, 2020

A Yarrawonga man who claimed he had 16 cannabis plants growing in his backyard to help with his epilepsy has been fined $500, a court has heard.

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Trent Sneddon, 41, faced the online Cobram Magistrates’ Court on November 4 where he pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the cannabis plants.

The court heard police attended his address on January 8 this year at 3 pm to execute a search warrant, with the accused telling police there were cannabis plants in the rear yard and in his bedroom.

Police located a plastic bag containing 10 grams of cannabis in the accused's bedroom cupboard along with a samurai sword perched up against his bedhead.

“In the rear yard of the address police located cannabis plants in various stages of growth,” police prosecutor Senior Constable Caitlin McLeod said.

Sneddon was interviewed at Yarrawonga police Station where he stated the cannabis located in his bedroom was obtained from a friend in Melbourne.

Sneddon also said he planted the cannabis plants about five months prior and watered them most days but "didn't expect them to grow as big as they did".

The court heard the accused smoked three or four grams of cannabis each day and grew the plants for his epilepsy.

“I moved to Yarrawonga from Melbourne and I have no contacts up here ... decided to try and grow it myself,” the accused said.

Magistrate Peter Mithen fined Sneddon $500 without conviction and ordered that the samurai sword, which Sneddon said was a present from his mother, be forfeited.