A Kiama Downs father caught with a quarter of a million dollars worth of cannabis at his home has been given a reduced prison sentence after a judge ruled the circumstances surrounding his case were "exceptional".
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Andrew Perrin, 32, pleaded guilty to two charges of supplying a prohibited drug and one charge of knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime after a search warrant at his Cliff Drive home on September 18 last year uncovered 18.4 kilograms of cannabis worth an estimated $250,000.
Police also discovered cocaine and almost $10,000 in cash.
Wollongong District Court yesterday heard Perrin had had a terrible childhood, caught between an alcoholic father and a mentally ill mother, both of whom regularly neglected Perrin and his brother, often leaving them without basic items such as clean clothes and food.
Perrin moved in with his grandfather as a teen and yesterday recalled it as a being one of the most "normal" times in his life.
He obtained his school certificate and a carpentry trade, but his life took a downward turn when his father was murdered 12 years ago.
Perrin yesterday admitted he suffered nightmares after his father's death and began to drink to deal with his grief.
He also threw himself into his trade, often working six or seven days a week, later to provide for his partner and two young children.
However, the court heard Perrin and his partner fought often after the birth of their second child, with Perrin yesterday admitting he was ill-equipped emotionally to talk their problems through.
Perrin admitted he turned to cocaine to deal with the stress stemming from his home life.
He began to sell cannabis as a way to pay for his habit, which topped $3000 a week during the height of his usage.
Perrin's barrister, Jane Healey, yesterday labelled her client's actions as "a stunning error" that was deeply "out of character" for a man with no prior criminal convictions, and asked Judge Paul Conlon to consider Perrin's life story in handing down a sentence.
Judge Conlon agreed Perrin's circumstances were "exceptional" and that he deserved leniency "on the strength of the subjective material".
He noted Perrin had co-operated with police, made admissions about the drugs straight away, was extremely remorseful for his actions and had entered early guilty pleas to the charges.
He sentenced Perrin to 18 months' jail, with a non-parole period of nine months.
With time already served, Perrin will be eligible for release next month.
Perrin was supported in court yesterday by family, including his partner and grandfather.
