A 63-year-old man has been fined $450 for possessing crack and drug equipment.

At a court appearance on September 9 last year, Samuel Richards had pleaded guilty to having 0.13g of the drug along with three silver sockets and mesh wire on November 9, 2015.

The court heard at the time that the items were discovered after police stopped Richards as he was driving down Deepdale Road East.

And Richards said he had made a poor decision due to the stress of marital problems, adding that he had since turned his life around and was going to church regularly. The matter was adjourned until October.

However, in court today, magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo said Richards had not made himself available for the pre-sentencing court reports and had warrants out for his arrest.

Richards insisted that he was still attending church and did not need any further services. He instead requested to deal with the matter by way of a fine.

Pointing out that this means he would be convicted, Mr Tokunbo fined him $300 for having the drugs and $150 for possessing the equipment.

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