'N-bomb' soldiers to be sent to military prison but remain in army

Two soldiers involved in a drug-fuelled night out in Palmerston North will spend time in military prison, but have not been kicked out of the army. 

Lance Corporal Joshua Mapson, 31, and Private Barclay Bishop, 22, pleaded not guilty in a court martial at Linton Military Camp on Tuesday to doing an act likely to prejudice service discipline.

After listening to three days of evidence, a panel of three military members deliberated for about three hours before deciding on a guilty verdict for both men on Thursday night.  

After sentence deliberations on Friday, Mapson received a reduction in rank to private and a $840 fine, while Bishop received a $685 fine. 

READ MORE:
* Two N-bomb soldiers found guilty 
* Five soldiers discharged from army 
* Soldier dismissed from army for supplying N-bomb
* Soldier who took N-bomb seen foaming at the mouth

Both were sentenced to 14 days in the Defence Force's correctional facility in Burnham but were not dismissed from the army.

Mapson and Bishop were two of eight soldiers taken into custody during Labour Weekend in Palmerston North after they were found acting strangely in the city centre and were suspected of being under the influence of drugs, namely, synthetic hallucinogen 'N-bomb'.

Five of the soldiers involved have since been discharged from the army. 

Private Luke Brame, 22, went to court martial and pleaded guilty in February to supplying the psychoactive substance N-bomb, doing an act likely to prejudice service discipline and offering to supply a psychoactive substance.

He was dismissed from the army and sentenced to 90 days detention in the defence force's correctional facility in Burnham.

Defence lawyer Michael Bott said Mapson would be considering an appeal. 

"Mapson has found the whole experience traumatic, he has no memory of the 25th of October at The Daily bar in Palmerston North."

Bott said any move to administratively dismiss Mapson would be frozen until the appeal was dealt with. 

He said before the matter even made it to court senior military members had talked about the Defence Force holding a zero tolerance for drugs. 

"[These are] also matters that will be taken into consideration in any matter of appeal."

In his sentencing submissions for the prosecution, Colonel Craig Ruane said he believed the two soldiers should be held to the same culpability as the others involved. 

Bott said in all the years Mapson had been with the army, this was his first mistake, and he didn't think one mistake should be the end of the world.

"He hasn't been a couple of years [in the army], he's been 13 years.

"He had no hope, no achievements, no nothing prior to coming into the army."

Major Steve Taylor said Bishop was disappointed with the verdict, but accepted the finding. 

Taylor submitted Bishop be fined as well as face some sort of reprimand. 

"He very much wants to remain in the New Zealand Army if that is at all possible."

The sentence decision was made by a panel of three military members with Judge Anne Gaskell.