‘Freeman’ to be sentenced on pot charges
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/01/2015 (2886 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
A “Freeman on the Land” who claimed he was above the law has quickly been convicted of running a marijuana grow operation.
Members of a Winnipeg jury reached their verdict Tuesday almost immediately after starting deliberations. Scott Peters will be sentenced Feb. 18 and remains free on bail.
Peters acted as his own lawyer and argued he was the victim of an unlawful persecution. In his closing argument Monday, he demanded to be allowed to face his accuser in court.
“It says here the Queen versus Scott David Peters. Well where is my accuser? Where is Her Majesty, the Queen? Why isn’t she on the stand?” Peters asked. “There is no case against me.”
The question was one of many posed during a rambling, 100-minute closing argument. Queen’s Bench Justice Robert Dewar repeatedly cautioned Peters to stay on point, but gave him plenty of latitude.
The Crown, meanwhile, took about five minutes to summarize a simple case: Peters was found with 56 marijuana plants in the basement of his North End home by police executing a court-authorized search warrant in 2012.
Growing pot without a licence is illegal. Peters doesn’t have a licence. Therefore, he should be found guilty, the Crown argued.
Peters denied any wrongdoing, despite the mountain of evidence against him.
“No man’s life, liberty or property are safe,” Peters said at one point, quoting Mark Twain. “I have the right to use my property as I see fit. Nobody has the right to question anything.”
Jurors clearly disagreed.
— Mike McIntyre
Mike McIntyre
Sports columnist
Mike McIntyre grew up wanting to be a professional wrestler. But when that dream fizzled, he put all his brawn into becoming a professional writer.
