May 13, 2014
Tinny embassy earns jail time
A Whangarei Maori activist who claimed his tinny house was an embassy has been jailed for two years and eight months on cannabis charges.
51-year-old Edward Rollo challenged the jurisdiction of the court to hear his case, citing tino rangatiratanga.
He said his house was an embassy with diplomatic offices, so he could not be tried in the New Zealand courts.
Judge John McDonald told him the courts were familiar with his arguments of sovereignty, and they didn’t wash.
Police raided the house last July looking for stolen property and found more than 200 grams of cannabis rolled up into tinnies as well as cash.
The judge ruled out home detention, because Rollo had reoffended after receiving home detention in 2011.
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