An Australian father caught with methamphetamine in Bali has spoken publicly for the first time after escaping a lengthy jail sentence.
Troy Andrew Smith, 49, appeared at the Denpasar District Court on Thursday, where a panel of judges sentenced him to six months of rehabilitation at Anargya Sober House.
The father of two, originally from Port Lincoln in South Australia, was caught with 3.19 grams of methamphetamine inside a bottle of Colgate toothpaste at the Champlung Mas Hotel in Legian on April 30.
He and his new wife, Tracy Ijusa, were on holiday for a week on the island when Indonesian police raided their room at the resort. She has not been charged with any crime.
The court had previously heard that police had found another 0.4 grams of the drug that had been bought in Bali, along with a water pipe and a lighter. The charges carried a maximum sentence of 12 years.
“The defendant has been found guilty of abusing drugs for personal use and is therefore sentenced to six months of medical and social rehabilitation at Anargya Sober House, thereby reducing the time he has served in prison,” read presiding judge Ketut Suarta.
The judge acknowledged that Smith displayed polite behavior during the trial, admitted his act, showed remorse for his act, and had never committed another crime before.
Troy Smith has been sentenced to
A relieved Smith addressed the media outside the courthouse after being sentenced.
“I want to thank my lawyer Sakti,” he said.
‘To my beautiful mother and sister, I’m sorry and thank you, and to Tracy, whose support and love I lean on every day.’
His lawyer, Ida Bagus Gumilang Galih Sakti, added that Smith’s wife had supported him, despite his failure to appear in court several times.
“Tracy gave her support so she could be strong,” Sakti said.
“(She didn’t come to court) just to make sure Troy could focus solely on his case. If Tracy showed up during the trial with a lot of questions from the sidelines, Troy couldn’t concentrate.”
More to come
Troy Smith publicly thanked his wife Tracy (pictured together) after his sentencing.
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