THEATRICAL POT DEALER GETS SENTENCE REDUCED

This time, he didn't need Pierre Trudeau.

Ronald Hickey, a marijuana dealer who talked himself into a seven-year
prison sentence with his antics during his Court of Queen's Bench
trial last year, has convinced Manitoba's Court of Appeal to shave two
years off his sentence.

Hickey opted to skip a lawyer and represented himself during his
criminal trial, becoming a cult favourite of court watchers, lawyers,
off-duty judges and Manitoba Justice staff.

During his three-month trial, Hickey called notorious axe murderer
Jack Bender as a witness, faked a heart attack, claimed to need
emergency jaw surgery and subpoenaed the late prime minister to
testify. A jury found him guilty.

His mannerisms were considerably more muted in the Court of Appeal in
July.

And Justices Bonnie Helper, Guy Kroft and Michel Monnin upheld his
appeal, ruling Hickey's seven-year sentence to be far above the norm
for marijuana trafficking convictions.