Who’s the Criminal?
Who belongs where in the DoD League Table of Criminality
On Tuesday 11th February, 2025, at Dumfries Sheriff Court, Kettleholm resident Michael Dent was handed a 20-month sentence for the supposed crime of cultivation and possession of cannabis without a Home Office license. Cannabis is a controlled substance according to the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971—statutory legislation that classifies the substance as a Class B drug and, as such, a criminal offence punishable with jail time.
Why? Because: “IT’S THE LAW!”… Or so they would have us believe. But what is a “law” exactly?
Let’s compare several concepts commonly referred to as “laws” to see if there’s any sort of common thread, to help us understand and distinguish what a “law” actually is in reality.
Do you see the odd one out?
(The one that isn’t actually a law?)
It wasn’t as though Dent was trying to hide his operations—his company was registered as UK Medical Marijuana Ltd (latterly UK MM Ltd), which could hardly be seen as concealing the nature of the business. Dent was prepared to defend himself in front of a jury, and fully intended to bring several members of Dumfries & Galloway police as witnesses to swear on oath that they were informed and knew about the business he had openly contacted them about for several years—we have witnessed evidence of Dent’s emails to a D&G police officer’s email address, first hand.
However, Dent received threats of a heavier sentence if he did so; in other words, he would have faced a worsened punishment for daring to exercise his lawful right protected under Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights. Coercion and duress seem to be allowed as long as it’s the Scottish justice system doing it. We have heard of similar threats made to people attempting to exercise this right.
Who’s sounding like the criminal so far?
Let’s look at it from an overall perspective, taking into account the actions of each participant involved in this case, from the Sheriff to the police, from the solicitors to the painfully unimpressive Procurator Fiscal, from prison staff to Michael Dent himself.
1. Sheriff
— Appointed a solicitor rather than allowing Dent to defend himself, indirectly ensuring police were not put on the stand
— Seemed to cast aside social work report stating imprisonment would not be appropriate because of Dent’s ill health and because he is a carer for his elderly father
— Omitted relevant facts
— Took away a man’s liberty for a breach of a statutory “rule” to which there is no evidence of obligation
— Appeared to act with hostility and to lack impartiality
2. Prosecutor Fiscal/Depute
— The woefully unimpressive COPFS determined it was in the public interest to pursue Dent for a victimless crime in which no member of public was affected in any way, shape or form
— Attempted to charge Dent for failure to appear in court despite doctor’s letters for ill health being accepted by previous judge
— After Dent pled guilty with the agreement that the charges for failure to appear would be dropped, attempted to add those same charges again anyway
3. Police
— Raided Dent’s home after having already being told about cannabis business by Dent himself
— Confiscated £30,000-worth of perfectly legal cannabis products and equipment, without providing receipts
— Denied that they knew about marijuana business despite contact and emails with Dent
4. Prison Staff
— Unquestioningly playing their part in taking a man’s liberty for a victimless crime
5. Dent’s solicitors
— Advised against taking the matter to trial, avoiding potential exposure of police lies and corruption
— Over a period of 3-4 years failed to contact Dent’s advisor at the Home Office which may have greatly impacted the case
6. Michael Dent
— Grew some plants without a license
Now let’s tabulate the above to distinguish between the Celtic, the Rangers, the Forfar Athletic, or the kick-about down the local park. Decide for yourself who’s who on the Declaration of Dumfries League Table of Criminality.
We end with Newton’s Third Law of Motion, which states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
It’s the law.
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