A 'VERY bright’ PhD student that was let off with a fine for carrying an air gun at the John Radcliffe Hospital in a ‘stupid moment of madness’ has now appeared in the dock again. 

This time, Benedict Tanudjojo, of London Road, Headington, admitted importing hundreds of grammes of cannabis oil into the UK.

The 25-year-old was charged with one count of importing a controlled class B drug with intent to evade a prohibition or restriction.
READ MORE: thugs attempted to gouge man's eye out in 'worst case of ABH' judge has ever seen 

Prosecutors alleged that Tanudjojo was knowingly concerned in the dealing of 280g of Cannabis oil on November 12 last year. 

Only months before the latest crime, he was in the dock of the same court after prompting a major police response and widescale alarm at Oxford’s biggest hospital. 

His defence team said he was like a ‘child with a new toy’ after he obtained a new Colt air pistol on August 28, and that he ‘didn’t want to put it down’. 

Oxford Mail:

He tried to take it into work with him at the hospital to have a closer look at the air gun, but when he got out of his car, a woman in the car park saw the air pistol and restrained him, the court heard on September 28.

Armed police arrived soon after and the NHS staff, already battling coronavirus on the frontline, were told to stay in their departments. 

Gregory Bull, defending his actions, told the magistrate at the time that Tanudjojo had been temporarily banned from the site where he was studying for a doctorate degree because of the incident.

Pleading with the magistrates, he described the gun enthusiast as ‘highly, highly talented’ and said: “It would be a tragedy for our community at large if the sentence would deter the university from continuing his studies.”

Mr Bull even argued against a more lenient community order sentence, saying: “The effect of a community sentence would damage his prospects and would send the wrong message to the college and to the hospital.” 

Sentencing him to a fine of £400, which the magistrate explained would be ‘equivalent’ to a community order, she said: “It was a really stupid moment of madness. I am confident it is unlikely to happen again.” 

But standing in the same court on December 21 for the second time in the year, Tanudjojo admitted importing the class B drug in to the country.  

At Oxford Magistrates’ Court on January 11, Tanudjojo was fined £880 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £80 plus court costs of £85.

Magistrates’ have the power to jail somebody for a maximum of six months, but they can also impose a fine for the offence of up to £20,000 or three times the value of the goods, if it is higher.  

Is cannabis oil illegal in the UK? 

Cannabis oil sellers and people who import the product from abroad need to have a Home Office licence for it to be legal. 

That’s because for CBD or other cannabinoid products to be sold for human consumption in the UK it needs to meet regulations. 
The cannabis plants which make the oil need to have a very low THC content of 0.2 percent. 

Specialist doctors can prescribe cannabis products for a very small number of patients who are struggling with cancer therapy side effects, MS, or children with rare forms of epilepsy. 

According to the NHS some cannabis-based products which can be purchased online are illegal and potentially dangerous – some CBD and hemp oils have a controlled amount of THC in them which make it legal and ok to buy as food supplements or from health stores. 

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