CLINT Robert Nix thought he would get away with using $3349 worth of electrical power in his Dawesville home – but he was wrong.
A search warrant was issued by Western Power for his home on July 22, 2017.
Nix, who was previously sentenced to 18 months in prison in Perth District Court on February 26 for related matters, was found during the search using power to run his own sophisticated hydroponic setup.
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READ NOWHe used his shed to grow 67 cannabis plants and 15 immature clones.
Nix’s use of power was so “sophisticated” the Magistrate decided prison was the only suitable sentencing option and issued him another three-months prison time, to be served concurrently with his current sentence.
Nix appeared in Mandurah Magistrates Court on February 27 via video link from Hakea prison, and pleaded guilty to a string of offences including guns, weapons ammunition, drugs and fraudulently using electrical power.
Police prosecutor Senior Constable Mick Fallows said police found drugs, a laser pen and a stolen electrical bike during the search on Nix’s Dawe Street property on July 27, 2017.
Police also found an army of guns including a shot gun, a male bolt rifle, rounds of ammunition and three magazines – all licensed but stored unsafely.
Nix was also found with a green paintball gun near his bed and two black paintball guns hidden in containers at the end of his bed without a firearms license.
Two cross bows and arrows were also found but Nix denied playing archery and had no licence for them.
Constable Fallows said a Remington 700 rifle was also found on Nix’s property and the original owner of the gun had a licence, but Nix didn’t.
Defence lawyer Michelle Cox said Nix already paid for the amount of power used.
Ms Cox said Nix bought the electric bike off buy and sell and was fixing it up to sell it.
For the firearms offences without a licence, Ms Cox said Nix was friends with the owner of a shop who sold them to him at a discounted price and Nix had plans to resell them.
Nix said he had plans to resell the paintball guns after he had fixed them.
For Nix’s six drug offences, the Magistrate fined him $800 and an order of destruction for the drug offences, $500 for each gun and weapons offence and the return of the stolen bike.
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