Mark Douglas Cochrane Paton jailed for meth possession and says he regrets involvement in drug distribution

A 59-year-old man who was not addicted to drugs says he regrets becoming involved with the distribution of methamphetamine for financial benefit. Mark Douglas Cochrane Paton was sentenced to 15-months jail for possession with intent to sell or supply of 15.2g of meth and $2480 of cash suspected to be unlawfully obtained, after pleading guilty in the District Court last week. Judge Michael Bowden said Paton was a “somewhat unusual” case as he came to court at 59 years of age with his first offence of trafficking. The rest of his criminal record consisted of possession of drug paraphernalia, cannabis and traffic charges and Mr Bowden said he had a good work record and led a prosocial lifestyle. “You’ve worked virtually all of your life, you’ve obtained a number of certificates which enable you to work in the mining and the building industries, and it’s said that most of your associates are prosocial,” he said. “You don’t appear to have any psychological problems. “You say that you’ve never become an addict, but you use once in a while on a social basis. “The reality is, if you use drugs, even on a social basis, ultimately, one of four things happens to you. It either affects your ability to be employed, it affects your relationship with other people, or you end up getting busted, and that’s exactly what’s happened in this case.” Mr Bowden said he believed Paton was unlikely to be involved in the distribution of drugs again but general deterrence meant his sentence still needed to send a message. “The amount of money that people can make from being involved in drugs and the prevalence of drugs in the community is so high that the courts must impose a sentence that will deter people from even thinking about being involved in the distribution of drugs,” he said. References submitted in support of Paton labelled the offending as out of character and said Paton was honest, dependable, hardworking and a man of integrity. Mr Bowden sentenced Paton to 15 months jail, backdated to July 9, and made him eligible for parole after serving half the sentence.