By By Terence Malapa,Justice Maree Mackenzie
Copyright dailypost
The Supreme Court has sentenced 23-year-old Watson Hasaiah Samroy to 16 and a half months’ imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to one count of cultivating cannabis.
The sentence was delivered on Friday, 5 September 2025, by Justice Maree MacKenzie in Port Vila.
Samroy was arrested in May this year after a Malo Island chief reported cannabis being grown in his garden. Police later uprooted 294 plants, weighing a total of 29.55 kilograms. Under caution, Samroy admitted cultivating the plants.
Justice MacKenzie said the large number of plants and significant weight suggested the cannabis was cultivated for commercial purposes, despite no evidence of actual sales. He stressed that the sentence must hold the defendant accountable and deter others.
“The cannabis was cultivated in your garden and there were a large number of plants, from which a profit could be derived,” Justice Maree MacKenzie said. “Growing cannabis puts people at risk and causes social harm.”
The Judge set a starting point of three years imprisonment, citing recent cases that showed a firmer approach to sentencing cannabis cultivation. This was reduced for Samroy’s guilty plea, personal factors, and the time he had already spent in custody since May.
Taking into account his age, first-offender status, and remorse, Justice MacKenzie suspended the sentence for a period of two years. Samroy was also ordered to complete 90 hours of community work and six months of supervision.
“The decision to suspend the sentence is finely balanced,” the Judge told the defendant. “By a narrow margin, I have decided to suspend the sentence because of the positive personal factors, and the fact that you have already served part of a custodial sentence. If you offend again in the next two years, you will need to serve this sentence in addition to any other penalty.”
The court further ordered the destruction of the cannabis plants.
Samroy has 14 days to appeal and the verdict was delivered on 5th of September.
