A Cooyal man, who groped a woman and was found to be growing cannabis when police went to his property to question him over the incident, was sentenced to 250 hours community service and fined a total of $1500.
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Ian Christopher Burns, aged 41, of Linburn Lane, Cooyal, faced charges of assault with act of indecency, cultivate prohibited plant, and possession of a prohibited drug, drug administering equipment and prohibited weapon, in Mudgee Local Court.
On February 7, Burns was drinking at a pub in the Broken Hill area, when he approached the victim slid his hand on her leg and touched her genitals.
She pushed his hand away and left the venue.
The incident was captured on CCTV.
On March 3, police went to Burns’ property to question him over the incident and noticed the tops of a number of tall cannabis plants.
Officers left and returned with a search warrant.
Byrnes admitted the cannabis present was for his personal use.
In an outdoor plot there were five large plants (1.5 to 2m tall) and 10 smaller plants (20 to 30cm) in pots.
Two 50cm tall plants were found in a tent in a shed.
Inside the house they found; eight resealable bags containing a total of 14g of cannabis; a small amount of cannabis seed; and four pipes.
As well as two slingshots.
Byrnes’ solicitor, Tom Flynn, told the court that his client doesn’t remember the indecent assault but has seen pictures from the CCTV footage and he was “clearly intoxicated” and remorseful.
Magistrate Bruce Williams told the defendant, “the woman doesn’t care if you are drunk or not, she has a right to go to a hotel without being molested”.
