High school teacher caught making cannabis oil said he needed drug for sleepwalking, also had guns

Whanganui High School teacher Tim Pauro has been sentenced on charges related to making cannabis oil and firearms in the Palmerston North District Court. Photo / Stuart Munro

A high school teacher who was caught making cannabis oil said he used the drug to deal with sleepwalking.

Whanganui High School teacher Timothy Pauro was also found with three guns in a wardrobe with ammunition scattered around them, as well as cannabis plants.

Today he was handed a sentence of six months’ community detention as well as 100 hours of community work, starting on December 9 so he can finish the school year without having to wear an ankle bracelet.

Judge Bruce Northwood said in the Palmerston North District Court today that Pauro by all accounts was a pillar of his community and had contributed significantly toward his school despite his offending.

“In all other respects you are a significant contributor to your community,” Judge Northwood said.

“This is not a case of a drug dealer to protect what they’re doing.”

Judge Northwood noted Mauro’s military background and said he of all people should have known how to safely keep firearms.

“This was a potentially dangerous situation and surprising for an ex-military man,” he said.

“But I am satisfied the weapons were not connected to any criminality. But, still, three firearms were found in a wardrobe, and ammunition was found around them.”

Pauro submitted he used the guns for hunting.

Judge Northwood also noted the Teaching Council would likely be looking closely at his future but Whanganui High School had indicated its ongoing support for him.

The judge also declined to impose any conditions that Pauro undertake any ongoing drug tests as part of his sentence and that he was able to recognise himself if he had a problem with using the drug.

“You don’t need someone like me prodding you along to get to that place,” Judge Northwood said.

Pauro was charged with one count of manufacturing cannabis oil, one of cultivation and four charges of unlawfully possessing a firearm or ammunition and pleaded guilty earlier this year.

Pauro and his wife made headlines in Whanganui when they both graduated from three years’ training as teachers together while raising five children.

Jeremy Wilkinson is an Open Justice reporter based in Manawatū covering courts and justice issues with an interest in tribunals. He has been a journalist for nearly a decade and has worked for NZME since 2022.