A Newry man who admitted to being the owner of a small quantity of cannabis and a teabag filled with the drug has been ordered to pay a fine of £250.
Sentencing the 45-year-old, the district judge commented: “This illustrates how embedded drugs are in our culture, that you can get cannabis in a teabag.”
Noel John Fitzpatrick, of First Avenue, had a plea of guilty entered on his behalf to possession of Class B at the city’s Magistrates’ Court.
Prosecution outlined that on December 11, of last year, police conducted a search of this defendant’s home in Newry.
During this, a small quantity of cannabis along with a cannabis teabag were located at the property, with Fitzpatrick making an admission with regards ownership.
Court heard that the last entry on the defendant’s record was for driving whilst unfit in 2017 and that he also had previous convictions for possession of Class B drugs.
Defence counsel stated: “This is a 45-year-old man with three children. He is unemployed and there have been no drugs charges in the last four years.”
He added that Fitzpatrick had used cannabis to “self medicate” in relation to pain but accepted that this should not have been done.
District Judge Eamonn King stated: “This illustrates how embedded drugs are in our culture, that you can get cannabis in a teabag.”
The defendant was ordered to pay a fine of £250, along with the offender’s levy of £15.
