Man stole electricity for dope room

A Wanganui man admitted stealing electricity for his cannabis growing room and has been ordered to pay over $12000 in reparation. Photo / File

A Wanganui man has been ordered to pay more than $12,000 in reparation for stealing electricity for his cannabis growing room.

Todd Carlisle Alabaster ran what was described as a sophisticated growing operation in a shed with cannabis plants planted in black plastic polyurethane bags with a watering system, using heated water aerated with an air pump.

It was equipped with four lights of adjustable heights, an extractor fan, air filter and lined with shiny plastic to maximise light.

Alabaster wired the circuit to the shed himself, bypassing the meterbox. It was estimated by his electricity company that he used $1,512.68 in electricity in a three month period or $12,101 over two years.

On March 27 this year, police searched Alabaster's home and found a glass pipe showing signs of use, two resealable bags with 15.91g of dried cannabis, two full shopping bags of dried cannabis cabbage, and a shed with two growing rooms.

One room had four cannabis stalks planted, and the other had 12 healthy cannabis plants, ranging from 60 to 70cm high.

Alabaster told police he built the grow rooms two years ago and grew the drugs for his own use.

Yesterday he appeared in front of Judge Dugald Matheson in the Wanganui District Court and pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis, cultivating cannabis, possession of utensils for methamphetamine and theft of electricity.

Alabaster's counsel, Mark Bullock, said Alabaster had long-standing problems with drugs and hadn't been in trouble for a drug-related offence before, nor had he appeared in court since 2003.

Mr Bullock said Alabaster told police he had two growing periods of 10 weeks but the reparation was sought based on electricity usage of 18 hours a day for two years.

He wasn't using it that often but accepted he was stealing electricity and didn't want to draw out the process with arguments.

Judge Matheson called the offending "substantial", and said Alabaster had a drug problem that needed to be addressed.

He convicted him on all four charges and ordered him to pay the full reparation amount of $12,101, complete 200 hours of community work and nine months' supervision with the special condition he undergo a drug programme.

He ordered drug-related items found in the search destroyed.