Article contentArticle contentXylazine, a powerful veterinary tranquilizer, doesn’t respond to naloxone.Article contentArticle contentLater that year, Pynn was charged with assault causing bodily harm at HMP for choking another inmate during an incident involving multiple attackers. Pynn claimed the victim had robbed his girlfriend and other women.Article contentArticle contentProsecutors Trevor Bridger and Robert Roach, along with defence lawyer Mark Gruchy, submitted a joint sentencing recommendation of 53 months, telling the court there had been much give-and-take to reach that resolution.Article contentArticle contentBridger stressed the danger of the drugs not only for Pynn, but other inmates, correctional staff, and healthcare workers who were exposed to it.Article contentArticle content“We’re dealing with fentanyl, which is one of the more dangerous things we see on the streets. It causes not only significant addiction, but it’s also extremely potent and the risk of overdose and even death is quite possible and quite likely,” Bridger said.Article contentArticle contentArticle contentHe noted this was the first time he had seen xylazine in the province.Article contentArticle content“It can suppress vital functions, increasing the risk of overdose, and naloxone really has no effect,” he said. “That probably explains a lot of the problems the medical staff were having in resuscitating Mr. Pynn.”Article contentArticle contentGruchy argued for enhanced credit due to the unduly harsh conditions Pynn faced at HMP. Pynn had entered prison in 2022 with a shoulder injury that left him in pain and unable to use one arm until he eventually had surgery.Article contentArticle content “It impaired his ability to function in a basic way, including sleeping. In fact, he went through weeks at a time when he could not shower,” Gruchy said.Article contentArticle contentGruchy described other hardships: untreated dental issues, conflict with HMP staff over a broken cell light, and deteriorating mental health.Article contentArticle content“This particular period, due to the intersection of the troubles caused by his drug issues, the injury and the general situation at the penitentiary, has produced a situation where he has sworn in his affidavit that the latest period of incarceration was the worst he has ever experienced,” Gruchy said.Article contentArticle contentArticle contentArticle content“He’s being breached for minor things, then gets into custody and has drugs in his body cavity,” Gruchy said. “With the level of personal risk and consequences being experienced, I don’t think there’s any other way to understand it other than there’s a serious problem.”Article content
NL offender Philip Pynn gets 4-1/2 years for smuggling deadly drugs into HMP
