YOUNG MAN GETS CONDITIONAL DISCHARGE ON DRUGS FOR MAKING A 'STUPID MISTAKE'

A 21-year-old Courtenay man caught with a bag full of ecstasy tablets
and charged with drug trafficking has instead been found guilty of the
less serious charge of possessing illegal drugs.

Ronald William Bernard was found with a bag containing 63 ecstasy
tablets (also known as MDMA) at a party in the Comox Valley on August
12, 2007.

He was initially charged with trafficking, but was found guilty of
simple possession at a trial in August of this year after it was
determined that he did not intend to sell the drugs.

"He was drunk, in fact he was virtually blabbering to the police
officer in a quite incoherent way," said defence lawyer T. Bishop,
referring to the night Bernard was arrested.

Bishop said that Bernard had consumed one tablet of ecstasy as well as
a quantity of alcohol before he was offered a bag of drugs from
another party-goer.

"When this person approached him with a bag of ecstasy, he just bought
it," said Bishop. "He really had no intent."

Judge Peter Doherty said that it was evident at trial that there was
insufficient evidence to support a trafficking charge.

"It would appear that Mr. Bishop is a decent young man who, under the
influence of alcohol and one tablet of MDMA, ended up buying more,"
said Doherty. "That caused him to come before the court on a very
serious charge."

Bishop, who has no criminal record, has been working full-time
renovating his home and intends to become a carpenter.

"He is just a young kid who made a stupid mistake and I don't think
it's right to saddle him with a criminal record for that," said
Doherty. "It's not in the community interest -- it's in the community
interest to see him succeed.

"I don't expect to see Mr. Bishop back before the court."

Doherty gave Bishop a conditional discharge with 12 months probation,
conditions of which include that he not possess illegal drugs and
complete 50 hours of community work service.