Former Queensland Parliament candidate Robert Paul Mcjannett
is arrested in Bali.
A former Queensland election candidate who brought marijuana into Bali last year has been sentenced to five months' jail.
Robert Paul Mcjannett, of Perth, was arrested at Denpasar airport on December 28 with 1.7 grams of marijuana in his luggage.
Mcjannett, 48, initially claimed he was the victim of a set-up but later admitted the drugs were his.
Authorities initially charged him with importing a "group one" narcotic - which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years' jail - and drug possession.
But prosecutors eventually dropped those charges and asked the Denpasar District Court to jail Mcjannett for seven months for the less serious charge of drug use.
The court on Friday sentenced him to five months' jail. With time already served in Bali's Kerobokan Prison, he is expected to be eligible for release later this month.
Mcjannett refused to answer the Australian media's questions after his sentencing and covered his face to prevent being photographed.
"You tried to make it worse, you bastards," he told journalists.
"Get lost."
Mcjannett's lawyer Pande Made Sugiartha told the court during the trial that Mcjannett had been using drugs for more than 30 years because it relieved stress and helped him sleep.
"The defendant was stressed because of his domestic life, because of his divorce and separation from his children," he told the court earlier this week.
"This was a huge burden for the defendant that made him feel anxious, depressed and unable to sleep.
"But after using hashish the defendant felt his anxiety disappear, he could forget his problems and get some sleep."
Mcjannett, a crane operator and leading trade unionist, travelled to Bali for a five-day holiday with his son.
He was a regular candidate in Redcliffe City Council elections and most recently appeared on the ballot during the 2005 Redcliffe by-election for State Parliament.
