A 47-year-old Murray Bridge man has avoided a prison sentence after admitting he supplied cannabis to a 15-year-old girl following an event at Murray Bridge High School in 2022. The District Court heard that the man invited the teenager and another 15-year-old girl to his home, where alcohol was also consumed. The teenager later became heavily intoxicated and did not return home, prompting concern from her family.

The court heard that the man provided the girl with a vape containing cannabis while the teenagers were at his home. The incident occurred after a Christian community event on April 5, 2022. One of the teenagers was eventually taken home by youth leaders, while the other remained at the property.

Concern grew when the remaining teenager failed to return home. Her parents raised the alarm later that evening. Youth leaders and police subsequently attended the property, where the girl was found showing signs of significant intoxication.

The court criticised the man's conduct, particularly because he was the only adult responsible for the teenagers at the property. The judge described his decision to provide cannabis and allow alcohol consumption as seriously irresponsible, rejecting the suggestion that experimenting with drugs in a private home was safer.

The accused initially gave police misleading information about what had happened but later admitted that he had supplied the cannabis vape. The court also considered his guilty plea and remorse when determining the appropriate sentence.

Rather than sending him to prison, the court imposed 117 hours of community service. The sentencing decision took into account the circumstances of the offence, his early guilty plea and evidence that he had stopped using substances since the incident.

The case highlights concerns around adults supplying alcohol or illicit drugs to teenagers and the responsibilities adults have when young people are under their supervision. It also demonstrates that offences involving young people can remain before the courts for several years before reaching sentencing.

The man has now been sentenced, bringing the court proceedings over the cannabis-supply charge to a conclusion. The teenagers involved were referred to using pseudonyms in court reporting to protect their identities.