A REFORMED cannabis user narrowly avoided prison after he was caught with £1,300 of the drug.
Officers searched Edward Durkin’s car when they smelled cannabis after stopping him for a separate matter at about 11.30pm on January 23.
Kerry Brookes, prosecuting, told Worcester Magistrates Court police found a clingfilm wrap and £130 in his pocket, a small amount of cannabis in the centre console and a large amount in a plastic bucket in the boot.
He told detectives the drugs were his and that he bought in bulk. Mrs Brookes said about 240g of the drug was found in total, with a value of about £1,300.
Durkin, of Ellison Avenue, St John’s, Worcester, had pleaded guilty to one charge of possession with intent to supply at a previous hearing.
Chris Hilton, defending, said his client had a previous conviction for street dealing in 2009. However, this latest crime was in “marked contrast” to his earlier behaviour.
He said the 23-year-old bought the drugs in bulk with a group of friends in order to save money and it had been his turn to buy them when he was stopped. Mr Hilton said a search of Durkin’s home and phone showed no evidence of dealing, and he quit smoking the drug soon after his arrest.
He said he was no longer in touch with his old friends, and he had seen vast improvements in both his work and personal lives.
However, chairman of the bench Philip Jenkins said the defendant had “clearly not learned” from his previous offence. But instead of sending him to prison, magistrates gave him a 12-week jail sentence, suspended for two years, and 18 months’ supervision with a requirement to carry out 150 hours unpaid work.
He must also pay £85 costs.
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