Drug dealer is sentenced to write a 5,000 essay
The judge Julian Lambert set the assignment because a shoulder injury meant Bennett was unfit to do community wor
A cannabis dealer is learning his lesson after admitting possession of around 2lb of the drug.
Terry Bennett, 32, was ordered by a judge to write a 5,000 word essay on the dangers of drugs and their effect on society.
Judge Julian Lambert set the assignment because a shoulder injury meant Bennett was unfit to do community work.
The dealer said: “It was a shock to be given such an unusual punishment. It’s been ages since I last wrote an essay.
“I asked the judge if I could write a balanced argument for and against cannabis, but he said that since it’s illegal, I should only write about the bad things.
“I’m just going to write about certain dangers caused by cannabis that people might not necessarily know.”
Bennett admitted possession with intent to supply in January and was given a one-year suspended jail sentence with 240 hours of unpaid work by Bristol crown court.
Judge Lambert was later told about his injury, sustained in a snowboard crash six years ago, and ordered he write the essay and hand it in to probation officers by April 4 to avoid jail.
The focus is on how cannabis causes psychosis, its cost to the Government, how it can be mixed with glass by dealers and its link to cancer.
Father of two Bennett, who left school at 16 and who lives with his mum in Cold Ashton, Glos, said: “I’ve already done a bit of research.”
He added: “I’ve got a drugs conviction so for me to take on a more serious role in society, it is imperative that I prove I am clean and steering clear of cannabis, purely because it is illegal.”
