News

Pembroke Dock: Cannabis pensioner gets suspended sentence

Published

11 years ago

December 9, 2014

Tom Sinclair

Swansea Crown Court

A PENSIONER who has fought a 30 year campaign to be allowed to use cannabis as a medicine has received a suspended prison sentence on Tuesday (Dec 9). The retired oil refinery supervisor, has previously served two prison sentences while taking on the government in a bid for those suffering chronic pain to be allowed to take cannabis for pain relief.

Eric Mann, aged 71, who believes cannabis can be used to treat even cancer, admitted producing the drug and to supplying it sick people.

Mann, of Harbour Way, Pembroke Dock, had earlier told the court he would fight the charges on the grounds that it was his human right to be free of pain.

But on the day his trial was due to begin at Swansea crown court he changed his pleas to guilty to charges of producing cannabis and to supplying cannabis oil.

Judge Paul Thomas told Mann that, like everyone else, the law of the land had to be obeyed and no-one could pick and choose which ones to abide by.

Gareth Mann: Avoided jail this time (Pic: BBC)

Ian Ibrahim, representing Mann, said he had been a coal miner and a construction site supervisor until he was forced to retire because of severe arthritis.

He self medicated himself and began to take cannabis, which, he said, relieved the pain.

Mr Ibrahim said police found 21 small cannabis plants and five jars of cannabis oil at the defendant’s home last year and in another raid this summer found he been producing cannabis again.

“The defendant regards himself as a care giver and looks upon cannabis as a medicine allowing him to break the law,” added Mr Ibrahim.

Mann had claimed to have developed a way of removing the psycho-active element of cannabis so users would get the benefit but not get “high.”

The court heard Mann had numerous previous convictions relating to cannabis.

He told the court personally, “I worked all my life and when I got ill I tried conventional drugs but they didn’t work. One drug I was using was withdrawn because people were killing themselves after becoming suicidal on it.

“When you’re in pain all the time and you can’t even put your socks on or make a cup of tea or anything life isn’t worth living but I found I could function through the use of cannabis as a medicine.”

Mann was jailed for 12 months, suspended for 12 months, and placed under supervision.

Judge Thomas told him, “Week in, week out in these courts see the effects cannabis has on people, particularly on their mental state. Whatever your views, cannabis does effect people’s minds, that is my experience and there is very good medical opinion as to why people should not take cannabis.

“I think you genuinely consider you are helping yourself and can do a service to others and that cannabis can cure or at least have a beneficial effect on cancer sufferers. But the vast proportion of medical opinion is that you are misguided in that and you are deluding yourself and others.”

The judge added he hoped Mann would now look at alternative methods of pain relief.

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5 Comments

Peter Warrennder

December 9, 2014 at 5:01 pm

It is the judge that is deluded, and if he believes what he said to Eric, he should educate himself to how thousands of sick people find relief from their ailments by taking medicinal cannabis. The judicial system like our governments is in the pockets of corporate powers, who are the very ones benefitting from the cannabis prohibition. How can someone taking control of their own health warrant a prison sentence. Too many times the wrong people are going on trial in this country. The laws need reforming to allow the sick the right to alternative medicine. Conventional treatments are designed to treat illness never to cure it. Why would they want a cure when they are making billions off the backs of sick people, by providing ineffective expensive treatments, full of side effects, that then need even more drugs to combat the side effects. Legalising cannabis would save the NHS millions by not having to buy overpriced pharmaceutical products. There are thousands of testimonies from people who have successfully treated themselves with cannabis, but have had to take these steps under the threat of prosecution by an unfair justice system. Sick people have enough on their plate without worrying about this.
Alan Brown

December 9, 2014 at 5:28 pm

“Judge Paul Thomas told Mann that, like everyone else, the law of the land had to be obeyed and no-one could pick and choose which ones to abide by.”
That is a highly debatable proposition. It seems to be quite acceptable in practice to evade the consequences of breaking UK law if you’ve got money and influence and can afford the best lawyers, or if you belong to one of the religions that claims exemption from e.g. animal cruelty legislation.
Andrew Lye

December 10, 2014 at 5:10 am

I have seen the effects of cannabis use on people and agree in part with the judge’s comments.
The defendant though is in great pain we can accept. I accept cannabis can help alleviate the symptoms, but the guy shouldn’t impose his views on others or supply cannabis to others. It easy for the judge to say he should find alternative pain relief. I presume conventional medicine either doesn’t work or has let him down?
It’s ironic that alcohol is a legal drug, and tobacco. Would we legalise those now, if we could start the world again? They kill thousands in the UK, every year.
darcey

December 10, 2014 at 10:27 pm

my husband suffered terrible when told he had grade 4 brain cancer, he suffered from cramps in his hands and legs, the doctors tried all kinds of medicines which never touched him, my husband used to cry in pain, one doctor told my husband to try cannabis, he said smoke a joint before bed, we managed to pay some and he smoked it before bed and for the first time in 2 years he slept all night, which made him feel better all day, then when ever he had an attack of the cramps he would take a couple of drags of a joint and within 10 minutes the cramps would ease and pain die down something any of the tables couldn’t do, they gave my husband 3 to 6 mths to live and i swear him smoking cannabis enabled him to live for 4 and a half years longer, which baffled doctors. and when he did pass he was pain free, i cannot understand why the government don’t have special leeway for people that can prove that cannabis works for them and there pain, like the gentleman said everyone’s entitled to a pain free life. cannabis works as a pain relief, and i have told quite a few people with cancer that are in a lot of pain to look into the benefits of cannabis, as well as the down falls there are also the benefits of use. all we had to do is google and we had all the answers. unless you have been there you will never no, and i hope you never get to no. i cant see how people can give an opinion when they never had to resort to using cannabis for pain relief. when your screaming in pain and nothing is working, you would use it, if you thought the pain would go….i could go on about what it did for my husband but unless you have been there you won’t understand.
tomos

December 11, 2014 at 10:48 pm

lets not forget that ciggys and booze are bigger killers than class A drugs, be honest pizzas,pies and sofas are bigger killers so never heard that DFS managers or macyds sent to jail

News

Motorcyclist injured in Johnston crash after overtaking lorry

Published

3 hours ago

March 16, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Rider treated by paramedics following collision with van pulling out from junction

A MOTORCYCLIST was treated by paramedics after a collision with a van in Johnston on Monday morning (Mar 16).

The crash happened shortly after 9.15am as the rider was overtaking a lorry through slow-moving traffic on the main road. It is understood the lorry blocked the rider’s view of a van pulling out from a junction near KO Carpets.

Police units attended promptly to assist at the scene.

The motorcyclist is not believed to have been seriously injured.

The van suffered slight damage, including a broken wing mirror.

The road was not closed, police said.

Health

Plaid Cymru to hold public meeting over Withybush hospital surgery cuts

Published

5 hours ago

March 16, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Candidates say residents must be heard after emergency services decision

PLAID CYMRU candidates for the Ceredigion Penfro constituency will host a public meeting in Pembrokeshire to discuss concerns over the future of services at Withybush Hospital.

The event will take place at 6:30pm on Monday (Mar 31) at Letterston Village Hall, giving residents the opportunity to share their experiences and concerns following Hywel Dda University Health Board’s decision last month to remove emergency general surgery from the hospital.

Campaigners say the move will force many patients requiring urgent treatment to travel further for care, raising fears about the potential impact on patient safety in rural west Wales.

Elin Jones, Plaid Cymru lead candidate for Ceredigion Penfro, said: “Withybush is such an important hospital for the community and residents of Pembrokeshire. The decision to remove its emergency general surgery will severely weaken the life-saving capacity of this hospital.

“Plaid Cymru has long championed small rural hospitals such as Bronglais and Withybush. We need to ensure these hospitals remain strong local services within our communities. Withybush should have the basic life-saving and everyday treatment services it needs to function as a full general hospital.”

Kerry Ferguson, Plaid Cymru candidate for Pembrokeshire within the Ceredigion Penfro constituency, said the recent success of a public petition had demonstrated the strength of local feeling.

“It’s great to see that the online petition calling for Welsh Government intervention to restore emergency surgery and essential services at Withybush has reached its target, meaning it will now be debated in the Senedd,” she said.

“We are extremely disappointed by the Health Board’s decision to remove emergency general surgery at Withybush. Increased journey times for anyone in need of urgent medical treatment will put lives at risk. We need government intervention now to overturn this decision.”

Residents across Pembrokeshire have continued to raise concerns about the future of services at the hospital, which has long been a focal point in debates about healthcare provision in rural west Wales.

Climate

Research vessel begins mission to study seabed carbon in Irish Sea

Published

5 hours ago

March 16, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Bangor University scientists join £2.1m project investigating the impact of bottom trawling on carbon stored beneath the seabed

A STATE OF THE ART research vessel has set sail from Liverpool to investigate how bottom trawling may affect carbon stored in the seabed of the Irish Sea.

The scientific expedition is part of a £2.1 million research project funded by the Natural Environment Research Council and led by Professor Jan Geert Hiddink of Bangor University.

A team of eighteen scientists has embarked on the RRS Discovery, one of the world’s most advanced research vessels, for a three-and-a-half-week voyage studying the impact of fishing activity on carbon held in seabed sediments.

Before the ship departed, a number of local dignitaries were invited aboard for a tour of the vessel, including Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram and National Oceanography Centre Operations Director Natalie Campbell.

Professor Jan Geert Hiddink, from Bangor University’s School of Ocean Sciences, said bottom-trawl fishing is both vital to global food supply and a major disturbance to seabed environments.

“Bottom-trawl fishing provides around a quarter of global seafood but is also the most extensive physical disturbance caused by human activities to stocks of carbon locked in seabed sediments,” he said.

“This is important because recent evidence suggests that disturbing the seabed could lead to the release of significant amounts of greenhouse gases from the seabed into the atmosphere.

“There are still major uncertainties about how this disturbance affects carbon stored beneath the seabed. As a result, the impact of these disturbances is largely unquantified and currently unregulated.

“The aim of this project is to gain a much clearer understanding of what is happening so that scientists, policymakers and regulators can make informed decisions in the future.”

Seven research organisations are collaborating on the project: Bangor University, the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), Heriot-Watt University, the University of Leeds, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, the University of St Andrews, and Imperial College London.

Caption: Scientists prepare to begin their research aboard the RRS Discovery, one of the world’s most advanced research vessels.