Australian bodybuilder used bullying excuse in order to avoid imprisonment for importation of steroids

Brenton Dowell, a bodybuilder from Australia, was caught possessing and smuggling great quantities of anabolic steroids in March 2011. It was determined that these steroids could be sufficient to be utilized for over 60 years by one user. Many individuals believed that this bodybuilder would be sentenced to jail. But Dowell escaped from imprisonment successfully.
The Australian Customs and Border Protection Service noted that this bodybuilder had attempted to import more than 3 kg of testosterone powder. The packages that contained the raw powder were mailed in September, October and November 2011. They were directed to three various places: to Dowell’s home, to his father and his stepfather.
In fact, such large quantities of raw testosterone powder could be purchased just for manufacture of anabolic steroids by underground labs in order to sell them on the black market. 3 kg of raw testosterone powder could be utilized for preparing of 1500 10-ml vials with ready drugs.
Len Hartnett, the defense attorney for Brenton Dowell, argued that the testosterone powder had been ordered for his client’s self-administration. He noticed that Dowell’s use of steroids was caused by bullying attacks that he received, when he was an overweight kid. Thus, according to the defense attorney, Brenton Dowell became addicted to bodybuilding and started to administer steroids because he was an overweight child.
The judge Graeme Hicks was influenced by words of the defense attorney Len Harnett who described experiences of Brenton Dowell in his childhood. The judge added that it could be concluded that Brenton Dowell had become obsessed by bodybuilding.
Thus, the judge believed the arguments of Len Harnett. Based on the descriptions and affirmations of the defense attorney, the judge Graeme Hicks believed that Brenton Dowell had ordered steroids personal use and for sales to his friends in order to pay off personal usage.
Brenton Dowell was sentenced to a fine of 10, 000 dollars and 2-year suspended sentence.