P traces in boy's hair

A 10-year-old boy living at a house where his mother was manufacturing methamphetamine was exposed to the drug and had traces of it in his hair.

The boy, whose mother was sentenced in the Nelson District Court this week to three years and nine months in jail, also told police it smelt as though " if you touched it, it would peel your skin off".

The boy's drink bottle, which had his name on it, was found with chemicals in it, the court heard.

Judge David McKegg said it was "inexplicable to those not involved in the drug world how anyone could introduce a child whom they were responsible for" to the drugs trade.

The boy's mother, Angela Kaye Smith, 39, and Johnathon Arthur Jones, 32, now a mechanic at Reefton, were both sentenced. Police busted Smith's Wakefield address in July 2008 and found evidence of a clandestine methamphetamine lab.

The pair, who were previously in a relationship, faced charges of manufacturing methamphetamine, conspiring to manufacture methamphetamine, and possessing equipment and substances used to manufacture the drug.

Smith also faced a charge of wilfully neglecting a child in her care.

Jones, who Judge McKegg said had turned his life around, was sentenced to five months' community detention, 300 hours' community work and six months' supervision.

Court documents show police first identified the pair as being involved in making methamphetamine, known as P, in July 2008, and monitored their activities.

Text messages between the two were intercepted and revealed them discussing what items they had or needed to get to make methamphetamine. They also had contacts sourcing pseudoephedrine for them from chemists in Nelson and Christchurch.

Police searched Smith's address in August 2008 and found all the chemicals and equipment at the house and in the sleepout to make the drug.

A Pyrex dish containing a completed pseudoephedrine extraction was on the dining room table. Equipment for smoking and packaging the drug were in the lounge. A detailed handwritten recipe for making methamphetamine and $5000 in cash was also found.

Scientists said a significant amount of methamphetamine could have been made from the materials at the house.

Smith's son told police he had seen methamphetamine and cannabis at the house and smelt strong chemical smells from the garage where his mother and Jones spent long periods of time.

A sample of his hair showed that the boy had been exposed to methamphetamine between late February 2008 and late June 2008.

Jones admitted disposing of toxic waste from the manufacture of methamphetamine in old oil containers at the dump.

Judge McKegg said both defendants had an equal role in the manufacturing process.

Smith had only admitted the charges after a jury had been chosen to hear the case.

She had breached a clear duty to her keep her son safe. While the boy might not have lasting physical effects from his exposure to the drug it was clear he had some way to go before he had recovered from the trauma he had experienced.

In sentencing Jones, Judge McKegg said at the time of his offending, Jones had a long-standing addiction to methamphetamine.

Jones had undergone a complete change in persona after being arrested and it was almost as if being caught was a cathartic event. He said Jones had a duty of care to Smith's son even though he was not the paternal care giver.

In sentencing Jones, he took into account his early guilty plea and the support he had from his family and the community. He was also drug-free.

- © Fairfax NZ News