By Xinhua,
Singapore : An Australian journalist was sentenced to 10 months’ jail by a Singapore court on Tuesday for drug offenses.
42-year-old Peter Lloyd, New Delhi-based correspondent for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, pleaded guilty to three charges which were for the consumption and possession of ice, as well as for being in possession of drug utensils stained with ketamine.
The fourth change, which is for the possession of drug paraphernalia laced with ice was taken into consideration.
In his mitigation, Lloyd’s lawyer Hamidul Haq told District Judge Hamidah Ibrahim that Lloyd did not consume drugs for “recreational purposes.” Instead, he took them to “self-medicate” as he was suffering from chronic post -traumatic stress disorder.
Haq said Lloyd had covered many tragedies such as the Bali bombings and the 2004 tsunami disaster. And Lloyd used the drugs to stay awake as he was constantly plagued by nightmares when he fell asleep.
Lloyd was arrested in July this year, charged with possessing 0.41 grams of Ice.
He was also originally charged with trafficking ice to a local man, 31-year old Sani Saidi. But Singapore’s Attorney General’s Chambers last month dropped this charge after Haq raised certain points which it took into consideration.