£500 fine for £30 of cannabis

A Foxdale man has been fined £500 after police found cannabis in his work van.

Officers found the Class B drug after searching Paul James Beattie's vehicle on July 4 whilst it was parked on Corrins Way in Peel.

At Douglas Courthouse this week the 26-year- old, of Sprucewood Close, pleaded guilty to unlawfully possessing the substance.

The court heard police had provided no figures showing the weight, or estimated value, of the cannabis - but Beattie himself believed it was worth between £20 and £30.

His advocate told the court it was for Beattie's own personal use and he used it as a way of alleviating insomnia and a skin condition.

Sentencing him Deputy High Bailiff Jayne Hughes sad she didn't know why police "went to the trouble of charging people" without providing the weights and values of drugs seized.

She also ordered Beattie to pay £125 in prosecution costs.