A FORMER Bathurst builder jailed for drugs and guns offences has penned a heartfelt apology to his wife and friends for the humiliation he has caused them.
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And he has called for an end to the “gossip and innuendo” surrounding the case that flourished in an environment where many details were suppressed in the months after his arrest.
Craig Hilton Neary was sentenced to three years and seven months jail after pleading guilty to offences that have cost him his business and his freedom.
His hand-written letter to the Western Advocate – written from his Parklea cell – appears an attempt to ensure his crimes don’t also cost him his family.
In the letter Neary accepts full responsibility for his offences, saying he turned to crime “in response to a financial position I found myself in”.
He said not even his closest family members were aware of his activities.
“This meant upon my arrest my wife not only had to deal with having her life torn apart, she was left to suffer the humiliation of my actions and having to liquidate Neary Construction Services, our construction company,” he wrote.
“She has survived this by her strength and the support of so many people in Bathurst who have my gratitude.
“I would also like to thank the people in Bathurst who have supported me despite my actions.
“I would also like to publicly apologise to all the people affected by the liquidation of Neary Construction Services.”
Neary’s letter also details his involvement in a controlled police operation after he was identified as a person of interest.
He stresses that he took part in the operation willingly and that he was acting alone.
“The point of this letter is to advise that no-one other than myself, the civilian participant and the detective and undercover officers were involved in my case or had knowledge of my activities,” he wrote.
“Any stories going around to the contrary are hearsay and not true.”
Neary pleaded guilty in February to charges of supplying an indictable and commercial quantity of cannabis, cultivating a prohibited plant in a large commercial quantity, unlawfully selling firearms and possession of a military-style weapon without permit.
The father-of-five expressed his regret during a sentencing hearing in August and was jailed by Judge Andrew Colefax on Friday, November 24.
With time already served, he will become eligible for parole on January 27, 2015.
To read the full letter from Craig Neary, grab a copy of Monday's Western Advocate
