New Zealand

Court martial: Air force personnel plead guilty to drug charges

12:24 pm on 18 February 2019

Two air force personnel have pleaded guilty to charges relating to the use of illegal drugs.

Morgan Davies, left, and Cameron Fairbank. Photo: RNZ / Laura Dooney

But both say they are not guilty of taking or trying to procure methamphetamine.

Aircraftman Morgan Robert Davies and aircraftman Cameron Fairbank are facing court martial at Ōhakea today.

In total, Mr Davies faces 13 charges - seven of offering to supply MDMA, one of offering to supply methamphetamine, three of taking MDMA, one of taking ketamine, and one of taking methamphetamine.

Mr Davies pleaded not guilty to offering to supply methamphetamine in October 2016, and not guilty to taking it in March 2017.

Mr Fairbank faces four charges, and has pleaded not guilty to trying to buy methamphetamine from Mr Davies in October 2016, but guilty to three others related to offering to supply or trying to get MDMA.

Prosecutor Flight Lieutenant Conor Donohue alleged Mr Fairbank sent a text message to Mr Davies early in October 2016, asking if he could get him drugs for the weekend.

Mr Davies replied "haha yeah bro, should be sweet".

Mr Davies said he would be able to get Mr Fairbank speed, and Mr Fairbank indicated he was interested in buying it, replying, "sweet bro, just let us know".

Mr Donohue said that in March 2017 Mr Davies took speed, again pointing to evidence in text messages between Mr Davies and a friend.

In them, Mr Davies referred to being so "out the gate" he didn't realise what was going on while at a music festival in Wellington.

His friend asked what he had taken, and he described a cocktail of drugs, including speed.

In both instances the prosecution said speed referred to methamphetamine.

But the defence lawyer for Mr Davies, Steve Winter, said while Mr Davies accepted he was a low-level dealer, he was not at any point referring to methamphetamine.

"At no point did he knowingly buy, sell, offer to buy or sell methamphetamine."

Paul Murray, acting on behalf of Mr Fairbank, said Mr Fairbank had not tried to buy methamphetamine from Mr Davies, but speed, which was a lower class of drug.