KEY POINTS:
A man facing charges in connection with the drowning death of his two children and cruelty to a mouse was back in court yesterday over drug offences.
Lindsay Rowles pleaded guilty to possession of a cannabis plant and a pipe made from a bottle top when he appeared in the Auckland District Court.
The 54-year-old will appear in the North Shore District Court on April 16 on various charges, including misuse of drugs.
He will reappear on April 28 charged with operating a vessel in a manner causing unnecessary danger or risk after his family launch sank off Waiheke last Anzac Day.
The incident left his children Erina, 8, and Travis, 5, dead.
Rowles, who moved from Devonport to Waiheke Island after the incident, is also accused of biting and killing a mouse called Nibbles. Last month he told the Herald on Sunday he was kissing it goodbye.
Outside court yesterday, Rowles claimed he was at a funeral on Waiheke when he was arrested for breaking a bail condition of not drinking.
Police also found cannabis. "I wasn't drinking alcohol but had a raspberry and lemonade," he said.
"I had a little bit of cannabis in my pocket, so I pleaded guilty."
Rowles and his wife, Tania, have set up a sex shop on Waiheke and he said business was "rocking". When asked about the boat he bought to replace the one that sank, Rowles replied: "I haven't got time to go fishing because I'm always getting arrested. I'm getting arrested three times a week. It's not fair."
