£240 of cannabis found in Co Armagh's man's home was for his personal use to help him sleep, Craigavon court hears
£240 worth of cannabis was for his personal use, a defendant claimed after the illegal drugs were found in his home following a police search in Lurgan.
Conor Campbell, aged 38, from Ann St, Lurgan appeared before Craigavon Magistrates Court on Wednesday pleading guilty to possessing the Class B drug cannabis.
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Police were carrying out a search of a house in Ann St Lurgan on October 3 last year when the defendant was present and found suspected cannabis.
The defendant told police that it was £240 worth of cannabis and it was his for personal use.
He told police he used the drugs at night to help him sleep adding he was undergoing a Steps to Wellness Programme via Bluestone Hospital and he was using the drugs “to self-medicate”.
Campbell’s barrister Mr David McKeown said: “This is a man who had a traumatic experience in this building in the past.” However he said he would not go into the details of it.
The barrister admitted his client has an “unedifying record” for this type of offending but pointed to his honesty at the scene rather than his position in the Pre-Sentence report.
District Judge Michael Ranaghan said he read the Pre-Sentence Report.
“Your attitude to court disposals leave my options limited. You do have a relevant record for drugs and it’s a relatively high amount of cannabis. I know you don’t think it should necessarily be criminal but it is at the minute,” he told the defendant.
He sentenced Campbell to two months in prison suspended for 12 months.