A former drug addict who had been found guilty of various drug-related charges and sentenced to a jail term of two years and a fine of €6,000, had his punishment reduced on appeal.

Richard Alistair Cranston, 50, of British origin, had been convicted of cocaine and cannabis grass possession that was not for his personal use. He was also accused of simple possession of cannabis resin. An appeal against the November 2013 judgment was filed by the accused.

The court of appeal heard how it all began in May 2009 when members of the drug squad made a drug discovery on board Mr Cranston’s yacht, which was berthed at Manoel Island.

Upon the man’s person the police found a packet of cigarette rolling paper almost 5g of cannabis resin. The search also yielded cannabis grass and two blocks of heroin weighing some 28 grams and 30 grams respectively.

The Court of Appeal, presided over by Mr Justice David Scicluna, noted that at the time of his arrest, the accused used to share drugs with his former girlfriend.

Friends of the accused had, in fact, testified how they had witnessed episodes of drug-taking by the couple. On one occasion, after dinner on board the accused's yacht, one guest recalled how Mr Cranston’s companion had produced a bag of suspected cocaine and after tipping its contents onto the table, had made lines in the powder. The couple had then snorted the drug.

The court observed that since the accused and his former girlfriend used to acquire the drugs jointly for their personal use, this was a case of simple possession.

It was further noted that since the alleged wrongdoing, the accused had come clean of his habit, had married, had a regular job and appeared “to be leading a stable life.”

For these reasons, the court declared that this was a case of simple drug possession and reduced the punishment from a two-year jail term to one of 12 months suspended for four years. It also reduced the fine to €3,000.