KEY POINTS:
A 32-year-old man has been left permanently injured and in pain from a fire in the P lab he was running in a Christchurch house, a court was told today.
Jason Paul Hutcheson will be forced to wear a pressure suit all through the four-year jail term he was sentenced to in the High Court at Christchurch today, the Court News website reported.
He pleaded guilty to three charges of offering to supply Class A and B drugs to undercover policemen, attempting to manufacture a Class A drug, arson, possession of materials and equipment to manufacture methamphetamine.
"He has lifelong permanent and painful injuries and wears a pressure suit at all times," defence counsel Tony Garrett told Justice John Fogarty.
The bill for unemployed Hutcheson's exploits as a P-cook has been high.
He was badly burned on his stomach, arms, groin and legs when he was using a burner with tolulene nearby in the house.
His injuries required $1 million of medical treatment in hospital in Auckland and the house cost $100,000 to repair, Justice Fogarty said.
He ordered forfeiture of $2500 found in Hutcheson's wallet, but accepted Mr Garrett's submission that reparation was futile and made no order for the damage to the house.
Justice Fogarty described P as "the scourge of the community".
"The arson charge is very serious, but manufacturing this drug is much more serious as it damages people as distinct from property."
He said Hutcheson had been caught in 2006 helping to supply drugs to an undercover policeman.
Justice Fogarty said that his ability to access three types of drugs in a 24-hour period "shows that you must be very well connected with the drug scene".
- NZPA
