Pot plants in kids' pool bring jail

A Te Puke man has been sent to prison for 3 years after police found 110 plants in his rental home - most of them in a child's paddling pool - as well as 525 seedlings in a tent set up in the dining room.
Jerry Junior Kissling's sentence, handed down by Judge Robert Wolff in the Tauranga District Court on Monday, also took into account firearms charges.
When police searched the 27-year-old's Wilson Rd South house at Paengaroa on November 4, 2009, they found a sophisticated growing operation including 70 cannabis plants about 60cm in height, another 30 about 30cm tall, 10 about 1m and one plant of 1.5m.
Most were housed inside a large children's paddling pool found in a bedroom.
The walls of the bedroom were lined with reflectorised paper and the plants were growing under operational lights connected to electrical timers.
In the dining room, a tent housed 525 cannabis seedlings, each measuring about 10cm and growing in containers of potting mix stored under panes of glass.
Had the 110 plants from the initial raid - they ranged in size from 30cm to 1.5m - been allowed to grow to maturity and produce only one ounce of dried cannabis each, Kissling could have netted $33,000.
He failed to appear in court for sentencing in January this year and was found by police in Rotorua on April 13 when he was charged with possession of cannabis for supply and possession of a firearm.
He was found with packaged cannabis ounce bags (28g) and a loaded rifle and charged with possession of cannabis for supply and unlawful possession of a firearm.
In March 2010, police also searched Kissling's partner's house on the same street, uncovering 3g of cannabis drying in the hot-water cupboard, 13 harvested plants in a shed out the back and a bong in the pantry.
In June 2010, while on bail, Kissling was charged with possession of an offensive weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm.
At Monday's sentencing, the Crown recommended a starting point of three-and-a-half to four years in prison for all the offending.
Kissling's lawyer, Glenn Dixon, said his client was a man who acknowledged significant change was needed in his life.
"He's motivated, sir, and he's at a point in his life where he wants to deal with these types of issues and not come before the courts again," Mr Dixon said.
He also handed Judge Wolff a handwritten letter of apology from Kissling to his family and the community and for taking up the court's time.
Judge Wolff said the involvement of firearms added a sinister element to Kissling's offending and told him "repeat returns to prison is not the way".
"This is the sort of case that underlines the inaptness of any argument that cannabis offending does not have a victim."