In December 2020 a police stop-and-search found an array of cannabis products in the Mercedes Benz he was driving, including 170g of cannabis seed and different strains of cannabis plants. The drugs were for an elderly lady who was ill, he had told police.
He was stopped again a few days later, this time with 11g of cannabis including four plants and 28 seeds. He used the drugs for his mental health, he said.
A year later, Sheehan was stopped at a routine police check in Papakura when the officer smelled the strong scent of cannabis. A search found 21g including plants and capsules of oil.
He was on the way to destroy the drugs in his car, Sheehan's lawyer Sue Kim told the court.
Sheehan had been clean since July 2021 after more than year of witnessing "heartbreaking" changes in his younger brother who was addicted to cannabis, she said, which prompted his decision to stop using the drug.
Sheehan pleaded guilty to six charges - five of possessing cannabis plants for supply, and procuring or possessing cannabis seed, plants, and oil, and one of driving on a suspended licence.
Judge Bennett said this was not the first time he was in court for drug offences, but he seemed to be in a relatively stable environment living and working with his father.
She gave him credit for his guilty plea, sentencing him to 50 hours of community work and nine months supervision, with counselling and addiction treatment as directed by his probation officer.
