[420 Girl]

A Victoria man has been fined $500 almost 13 years after being arrested for selling three marijuana joints.

David Ellis, 36, of Victoria appeared in provincial court yesterday, pleading guilty to trafficking in a narcotic -- a charge first levied in 1995.

"It looks like this was written with a quill pen," joked Justice Evan Blake during the hearing. "This is an unusual case."

Ellis was arrested by Victoria police on June 1, 1995, after two officers noticed him conversing suspiciously on Yates Street with another man. Police followed the men as they weaved through downtown, attempting to lose any potential pursuers, court heard.

Ellis stopped at Blanshard and Johnson streets and sold the other man three marijuana joints for $15. Police later found the money, two more joints and marijuana in his pocket.

At the time, Ellis had a lengthy criminal record, having spent five months in jail in 1994. Fearing the arrest would lead to more jail time, he fled to Ontario and lived there for 13 years.

"He's had no problem since moving back to Ontario," defence counsel Kirk Karaszkiewicz told the court.

Ellis came to Vancouver Island this year looking for work. He was arrested on the still-outstanding warrant.

In passing sentence, Blake recognized the offence was more than a decade old, but said the court could not reward Ellis for fleeing.

However, he also noted Ellis's clean criminal record since the drug sale.

"You're clearly a different person than you were in 1995," Blake said. "You have clearly been largely rehabilitated on your own."

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