HOUSE ARREST UPS THE ANTE 'INCREDIBLY, FOR NO SOUND REASON' - LAWYER

With judges ordering house arrest for people guilty of assault and sexually
abusing children, a Truro lawyer successfully argued yesterday that such a
sentence would be too severe a penalty for his pot-growing client.

"You can't give her 12 months; it's not fair," said Alain Begin, the
defence lawyer for Rebecca Tiffany Stephens, to provincial court Judge
Robert Stroud. "I would suggest it's an inappropriate sentence."

Stephens, 26, of Truro, had pleaded guilty to producing marijuana. She had
no prior criminal record and was growing marijuana for her personal use,
according to evidence submitted in court.

Begin said judges are sentencing petty criminals to house arrest when
probation alone is more than adequate as a punishment for their crimes.

"The court is going down the wrong road with conditional sentences," Begin
contended. "We've upped the ante incredibly, for no sound reason."

Stroud agreed with Begin's submission and gave Stephens a suspended
sentence with 18 months of probation.

Crown attorney Linda Hupman had asked for a 12-month conditional sentence,
including three months of house arrest and the remaining nine months under
a curfew.

Begin cited similar conditional sentences which were imposed recently for
more serious crimes.

He argued Stephens shouldn't be in the same category as drug traffickers or
people with prior drug convictions.

"It's not fair for people coming in here, and the Crown's all over the
map," Begin complained.

"There's a need for this court to adopt a standard."

Stephens was arrested on June 6 after police officers raided her home with
a search warrant.

She wasn't there at the time, but turned herself in to police later that
day and co-operated fully with the investigation.