Posted on 10/09/2006 1:08:07 PM PDT by aculeus
A soldier who killed the father of a life-long friend in a frenzied attack after suffering a psychotic reaction to home grown cannabis has been jailed for 10 years.
Paratrooper Laurie Draper, 31, bludgeoned 53-year-old schoolteacher Paul Butterworth with a pair of garden shears after smoking the drug at his victim's home on March 7 this year.
Draper was jailed at St Alban's Crown Court today after admitting manslaughter on the grounds that his mental state had been affected by Mr Butterworth's home grown, high strength drug.
advertisementThe court heard that the Iraq War veteran, originally from Leicester but based at the Colchester Garrison was suffering from a cannabis-induced psychotic mental state when he smashed the three foot tree loppers into Mr Butterworth's head and body.
Jailing Draper, a lance corporal with more than eight years "exemplary" service, Judge Findlay Baker QC told him: "Your conduct became at first strange, then alarming, then delusional.
"Resisting attempts to calm you down, you attacked Paul Butterworth."
Draper, the judge added, also tried to attack Mr Butterworth's son Ashley when he tried to drag his now dead father's body away from the vicious onslaught.
Ashley was forced to flee to save his own life.
The judge added: "He did what he could to protect his father, no-one could have expected him to do more.
"Some of the blows landed on him and fearing for his life he desisted, leaving you to beat the brains out of his unfortunate father and eventually to drag his body, mutilated and barely recognisable to the living room sofa.
"This was an appalling attack of extreme and persistent violence. And I have no doubt it would not have happened if you had not consumed cannabis.
"Anyone who unlawfully takes a dangerous mind-altering controlled drug and who then finds that his mind is altered in unexpected and undesired ways must take responsibility for his subsequent actions."
Mr Butterworth, who would have celebrated his 54th birthday this week was described in court as a laid back man who loved animals and children and who smoked his home grown cannabis to relax.
In a statement read to the court Ashley Butterworth said telling his two children about their grandfather's death was "the hardest thing he had ever had to do."
Reefer Madness!
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Smoking dope would sometimes trigger Depression with me. I had a roommate who liked to fight when he was high.
You got depressed because you spent your grant money on ditchweed and your friend wanted to fight because it gave him a headache. :-D
Probably.
Don't you wonder what the weed was laced with? It appears that it would have had to have been based on the psychotic reaction. Maybe the person had a severe allergy to cannabis.
I had a severe allergic reaction once. I don't recall stabbing someone to death with garden shears over it.
There'd only be one.
BS! There was something else involved.
More likely (if the story is even true) is that it was laced with PCP (which we used to always call "love boat").
BS. Pot doesn't make anyone violent, it has never made anyone violent, and it never will make anyone violent. Absolute BS.
psychotic reaction to home grown cannabis
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They might want to look a little further into what he smoked, because it wasn't cannabis. Maybe little Johnny was adding something to the "Home Grown" as it was growing or cut it with something to give it some effect. Most people growning pot end up growing stuff that at best gives the smoker a headache, at worst nothing at all.....so I hear.
I have to agree with others that the defense lawyer told the judge what he wanted to hear, and the judge isn't bothering with medical evidence.
There is always a danger with taking any mind altering drug, however with cannabis the danger is mainly hurting yourself or others because of impaired motor skills.
It's not a drug that normally provokes violence, so it would be interesting to hear what evidence was provided to tie cannabis use to his criminal actions.
Unless some solid evidence is provided, blaming this on cannabis doesn't sound credible.
Does this explain the meaningless drivel of a TV show called "The Love Boat"?
Someone probably dipped the joint into AD before it was smoked.
Beats the hell out of me!
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