A Pershore man suffering from an intestinal condition has been fined for possessing cannabis with a street value of over £850, which he claims he used medicinally to ease his pain.

Officers discovered almost 200g of cannabis resin and just over one gram of herbal cannabis - both class B drugs - after carrying out a raid on Stefan Ward's home in High Street, in September.

Ward said he had bought the drugs "in bulk" and the block of resin would last two weeks, easing the pain he suffers as the result of having Crohn's disease - a chronic inflammatory disease of the intestines.

Appearing at Worcester Magistrates Court yesterday, Ward admitted two charges of possessing cannabis.

Andy Childs, Ward's defence solicitor, told the court: "My client has Crohn's disease, which he is probably going to have to deal with for the rest of his life.

"There's ways of dealing with it which can involve radical surgery or you can keep it at bay by prescribed drugs or a holistic approach and Mr Ward's choice is cannabis.

"It's the best way he has found to suppress the pain and he doesn't really want to opt for radical surgery.

"He accepts the illegality of what he is doing but in his mind he thinks there is a morality behind it in his circumstances."

He said Ward, 31, was unemployed after spending many years being the full-time carer of an elderly relative and was now actively seeking work as a painter and decorator.

When discussing Ward's means and ability to pay a fine for his crimes, Mr Childs said his client had already been financially impeded by the situation.

"The police put a sledge hammer through his door, which is a little excessive these days when we are dealing with cannabis," said Mr Childs.

"If there had been a knock on the door it may have saved this damage as my client was in.

"He has had to pay over £400 to pay for a new door frame and door."

John Barnett, prosecuting, said the police had been acting on a tip-off that drugs were being dealt from the house.

"The police were there to execute a search warrant issued under the Misuse of Drugs Act," he added

He said officers were satisfied that Ward was using the drug for his own personal use and was not a dealer.

Ward was fined a total of £120 and ordered to pay £43 prosecution costs.