They do have probation officers here and it was one that did my pre sentence report (which recommended 200 hours community service but according to my lawyer was a load of rubbish, craply done, showed no reasoning, etc).
During that pre sentence report I was told by the probation officer if I did end up on community service then I would not be able to leave the Isle of Man without permission, but I could basically do it for any reasonable reason with a fortnight notice.
Furthermore I have been on bail since my first court hearing (in fact I’ve been on police bail since before then) and as part of that I had to give my passport up, so I had no freedom of movement. Actually it was quite funny today, no one mentioned my passport and I brought it up at the end (the court room btw had only me, my lawyer, the prosecution lawyer, someone who I assume was the d.h. bailiff’s assitant but not sure, and the deputy high bailiff herself in it, as well as the usher - although AIUI it was a court only for me, everyone else having been dealt with in the morning. Oh and now I remember there was a guard next to me in the dock. So had I been sent to prison my assumption about it being in the paper may have been wrong, not sure I will look out for it - I do know that the case will be reported to other Manx lawyers in their journal [or similar terms, please understand I am a layman here] as I am essentially the first ever person since a piece of caselaw called caldwell camp to import class A drugs and not get sent to prison on the Isle of Man)
Er, those brackets went a long while. Anyhow I brought up the passport and I’ll be called about it on Monday, they think it’s in one of their safes. And so far as I know I’ll be free to travel wherever I like as of then. Oh, apart from America, New Zealand, and Australia… they don’t like the types of me now!
Hopefully it hasn’t changed in the 15 years since I left local government (in SE England) employ, but the probation service really is your friend. They really do want you on the straight and narrow; they don’t want you in prison. If you have problems - like getting a job - they will do their best to help. Do tell them about job applications before you apply so they can put in a good word for you. But you’ve got to do your part.
So what are your travel options beyond the Isle of Man at this point given your conviction? Some countries are pretty strict about not letting people in who have been convicted of drug crimes. Is this even an issue for European travel?
Nope I can go anywhere in the EU, heck even settle and start a business, cause I have a UK passport.
I’ve not really explored other countries’ laws regarding this. I should imagine most are more lenient than US, Auz and NZ though.
Truth be told I can probably go anywhere I like, I need to see where this case is reported over the next couple of weeks. I was really expecting a reporter in the courtroom on Friday but unless I misunderstood what one lady was doing there wasn’t one. So it may be this doesn’t reach the internet, and at the moment crimes here aren’t shared with other agencies, so I may be de facto capable of going anywhere I like by, erm, lying.
Not that I have any plans of out of Europe travel any time soon anyway.
(There is no way I could have being stuck and unable to get off of the Isle of Man by the way. I came very close to being thrown off it! They have things called exclusion orders here, because it is not itself a part of the EU.)
I’m also glad you aren’t going to be incarcerated.