UKP 113 SHOCK FOR CANNABIS CAFE OWNER

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UKP 113 SHOCK FOR CANNABIS CAFE OWNER

Jailed cannabis cafe owner Christopher Baldwin could face a UKP113,000 bill.

He has already served six weeks in prison for his involvement in the
Amsterdam-style Quantum Leaf cafe in Worthing.

But new laws mean he could be forced to pay back any money he made from the
business.

Police say tens of thousands of pounds were made in the venture.

However, Baldwin, 53, who campaigns for the legalisation of cannabis, said
the Quantum Leaf, in Rowlands Road, Worthing, was run as a political
statement and left him in debt.

He will appear at Chichester Crown Court on July 15, when a judge will
decide how much, if anything, the campaigner should be fined.

Baldwin lives with his carer, Trevor Scott, in a two-bedroom council
bungalow in Carnegie Close, Worthing.

He said: "The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) says I owe about UKP130,000. I
wish we had it.

"The figure is pure conjecture. They probably watched the cafe when it was
open and counted how many customers went in.

"But the shop was not busy for the first five months until it was busted.
Then it really took off because of the publicity.

"Not everyone who came bought two or three bags of weed. Some would buy a
ready-rolled joint for UKP2 or a hash cake for UKP1.50."

Police recovered hundreds of pounds in cash and large amounts of marijuana
during raids at the cafe in 2002 and 2003.

Chief Inspector Russ Whitfield said the Quantum Leaf and another cafe in
Brougham Road, East Worthing, were earning thousands of pounds every week
and were devoid of any political stance.

But Baldwin said: "The money the police took off me was owed to the people
who gave us the cannabis.

"I did not have the money to buy the cannabis. I found people who believed
in what I was doing and were prepared to supply cannabis up front so I could
pay later.

"In the last bust the police found UKP8,000 but that money was to pay people
and should never have gone to the cafe.

"It left me in a lot of debt. I have lots of overdue credit card payments
and they are foreclosing on me.

"I also have council tax bills left over from the cafes."

Baldwin was jailed at Chichester Crown Court on January 9 after pleading
guilty to allowing cannabis to be used and having cannabis with intent to
supply.

CPS spokesman Paul Hayward said the application to fine Baldwin was made
under the Proceeds of Crime Act, introduced last year, which empowers courts
to seize the assets of someone who has been convicted of a crime.

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CANNABIS CAFE OWNER SPARED BILL OF UKP 113,000

A jailed cannabis cafe owner walked from court without having to pay a
UKP 100,000 bill. Christopher Baldwin, 53, was accused of making
thousands of pounds from his illegal venture.

He had already served six weeks in prison for his involvement in the
Amsterdam-style Quantum Leaf cafe in Worthing.

But new laws meant he was faced with paying back any money he made
from the business. Original estimates were that this could be UKP
113,000. However, Chichester Crown Court heard it was unclear after
examining the cafe's accounts what profit had been made. Francis
Lloyd, prosecuting, said the figure could have been about UKP 78,222
but there were too many gaps in the cafe's accounts. Baldwin, who
campaigns for the legalisation of cannabis, had told an earlier
hearing that the Quantum Leaf, in Rowlands Road, was run as a
political statement and had left him in debt.

The court agreed a confiscation order of UKP 8,508 should be made, a
sum which had already been seized by police during raids at the cafe.
Baldwin, who suffers from spastic paraplegia and needs crutches to
walk, did not have to pay any more.

Outside court, Baldwin said: "I'm not a big tough guy or a big bad
criminal. "Some take attending court in their stride but it has been
pretty stressful. "I'm very pleased with the outcome. Justice has been
done because I did not make any money from the cafe - it was done for
political reasons." Quantum Leaf was in the back room of a smoking
accessories shop called Bongchuffa.

Police raided it on November 27, 2002, weeks after Baldwin publicly
announced he was opening the cafe.

Officers estimated UKP 2,000-worth of cannabis and more than UKP 4,000
in cash was seized in the raid.

The figures swelled as Worthing police mounted an intensive six-month
operation to stop blatant cannabis dealing.

Baldwin was eventually jailed at Chichester Crown Court on January 9
after pleading guilty to allowing cannabis to be used at a premises
and having cannabis with intent to supply.

Dozens of cannabis campaigners had attended each hearing, staging
noisy and colourful protests.

Baldwin said: "I have no regrets about what I did but I do apologise
for any inconvenience to Worthing.

"People are allowed to drink alcohol, which can cause a lot of social
harm. "If you look at the Dutch coffee shop system, police get called
to bars, not coffee shops.

"We showed people that it could w
ork here too. The only time police
went to the Quantum Leaf was to raid it, not to sort out any
problems." Chief Inspector Russ Whitfield, Worthing district police
commander, said the cafe was not a political statement but organised
criminal activity making thousands of pounds every week.

Quantum Leaf sold 13 types of marijuana, hash cakes, ready-rolled
joints, sandwiches and soft drinks.

Baldwin has said he uses cannabis to counter the leg spasms he suffers
as a result of his disability.