Tried to hide drugs in his underwear

Daniel Battersby, The Rowans, Banbridge, was fined £250 for possession of a class B drug on April 14 this year.

The court heard that police stopped the defendant while driving on the Lurgan Road.

When they approached him he appeared nervous.

During a search they found £40 worth of herbal cannabis in his underwear. He said he had purchased it for his own personal use.

A solicitor representing Battersby said he was driving back after dropping a friend home.

In a panic he tried to conceal the drugs.

He added that the defendant had twice before received cautions for similar offences.

The solicitor said that his client was not a frequent user of cannabis but would use it when dealing with stress because of his exams.

Being in court was a sobering experience for him, said the solicitor.

District Judge, Mr Paul Copeland, said Battersby had been warned not once but twice, the last time just a week before this offence.