John Stephen Wilson, 47, lodged an application to appeal the sentence in Ballarat Magistrates Court yesterday, but was refused bail late in the afternoon.

The court heard police raided Wilson’s Wendouree home on August 17, where they discovered about 100 grams of cannabis in various spots around the house, a set of scales and other drug trafficking equipment.

Officers also found an ornamental Japanese sword as well as a range of stolen goods including four electric guitars, two motorbikes and two mountain bikes.

Wilson was carrying $1315 cash in his wallet at the time, which he admitted was from selling cannabis.

The pensioner told police that up to 20 people a day would visit him to buy cannabis, and often traded him goods he knew were stolen.

Police prosecutor Leading Senior Constable Pepe Brown said Wilson would receive between $840 and $1600 in cash sales per day, and was using up to five grams of cannabis a day himself.

Defence lawyer Lachlan McConchie said his client had underestimated how much trouble he was in.

“He knew it was against the law but he didn’t think it was serious,” he said

Magistrate Kay Robertson said Wilson was “fairly cavalier” in the way he ran his drug business. She sentenced him to two months in jail followed by an 18-month community corrections order.

“You’ve become a bit of a character in the community, people come to your place to buy drugs and to get rid of goods.

“I need to send a message to the community.”

Wilson pleaded guilty to 13 charges including trafficking, possessing and using cannabis and six counts of dealing property suspected of being the proceeds of crime.