Portadown man who found a lost phone on Translink train ended up being arrested for cannabis possession, Craigavon court hears
A Co Armagh man, who found a lost phone on the train and gave it to the conductor, was arrested for cannabis possession, a court hears.
Stuart Clarke Frazer, aged 39, from Charles Street, Portadown, appeared before Craigavon Magistrates Court and pleaded guilty to possessing the Class B drug cannabis.
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The court heard that police boarded a train at Portadown train station on September 19 this year and spoke with the defendant.
They noted a strong smell of cannabis coming from him and he admitted to having smoked cannabis before getting on the train, a prosecutor said.
Frazer was then searched and a grinder containing herbal cannabis was found.
Mr Logue said: “It's an example of no good deed goes unpunished. He’s on a train and the conductor asks if anyone seen a lost phone. Mr Frazer finds the phone. The conductor unfortunately smells cannabis and the police are called.”
The solicitor added his client has sole custody of his child. "I have personal knowledge of what that man went through to make sure he had custody. The hoops that he jumped through to be in a position to look after that child.
"I know from over the years what he has achieved. The mother of that child was murdered last year,” said Mr Logue.
District Judge Michael Ranaghan said: “The one way that would interfere with you looking after that 14-year-old child is to reoffend. The other side of the coin is that it was a very tragic incident both for you and for the child as well.”
Frazer was fined £150 plus £15 offender levy.