Out of the frying pan, into the pot
December 19 2002
By Steve Butcher
A respected doctor was conducting a laboratory experiment at his North Fitzroy home when it blew up in his face - in more ways than one.
The Melbourne Magistrates Court heard yesterday that William Boyd Kelly, 32, suffered severe burns on March 21 when he sparked an explosion and fire while using acacia oil.
Dr Kelly, who worked in emergency and intensive care at the Western Hospital, ignored his injuries and fought to save his house.
But his recovery was complicated when police investigating the incident found a small marijuana plant in his back yard.
Senior Constable Wayne Taylor, prosecuting, said that Dr Kelly had watered and nurtured the plant and harvested some of it.
Senior Constable Taylor said Dr Kelly had cooperated with police and showed remorse.
Defence lawyer Bob Galbally said that "unfortunately an explosion resulted" when Dr Kelly, 32, performed a "laboratory" experiment.
Mr Galbally said Dr Kelly's laboratory was "very different" from others often seen in the criminal courts.
Mr Galbally said Dr Kelly's first priority was to save his house before an ambulance took him to hospital with burns to 18per cent of his body. Dr Kelly needed skin grafts, which left scars. Dr Kelly, who has no prior convictions, was a social smoker, much like "having two light ales in the fridge", he said.
Character witness Stephen Priestley, director of emergency services for Western Health, told the court that Dr Kelly, who now works in Sydney, was widely respected.
"I can't speak highly enough of him," Dr Priestley said. "He is at the highest end of competence and professionalism."
Dr Kelly, formerly of Newry Street, North Fitzroy, pleaded guilty to charges of cultivating and possessing marijuana.
Magistrate Jane Patrick released Dr Kelly on a non-conviction undertaking to be of good behaviour for a year. He was ordered to pay $250 to the court fund.
From:
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/12/18/1040174296392.html
Now... don't get me wrong, but does acacia oil set off anyone else's spider sense? Not to malign the good doctor, but I do somehow recall that among a myriad of other uses,
acacia maidenii plants contain 0.6% alkaloids in their bark, 2/3 of which is
DMT. I wonder if the doctor was playing with a simple
extraction that accidentally caught fire? Probably not, I guess, as otherwise it would have presumably been fairly obvious that the laboratory was set up to make drugs... and the article notes that it was 'different' to normal drug labs.
It strikes me funny thought, that this doctor was involved in a household laboratory explosion and was found cultivating a marijuana plant, and got off with a $250 'contribution' to pay (yes, and hideous scarring and trauma associated with the lab accident). I wonder if the same penalty would have been handed down for a 'social smoking' university chemistry student who had been overzealous in a home lab setup?
Of course, the whole issue could be absolutely innocent and I probably have no right to read so much fabricated detail into it, but it makes an interesting story...
BigTrancer
PS: Thanks to waz for dropping those links.