A man who was growing 20 cannabis plants which he says were for his own personal use has been sentenced to three months in prison suspended for two years.
Court heard that the 41-year-old had four previous convictions in relation to drugs, including one for cultivating cannabis back in 2018.
Alan Ousby, of Harbour Road in Kilkeel, had a plea of guilty entered on his behalf to cultivating cannabis and possession of Class B at Newry Magistrates’.
The particulars outline that the offence occurred on Harbour Road, Kilkeel, on July 11, last year.
Prosecution informed the court that this involved 20 cannabis plants and a small quantity of cannabis.
They went on to outline that Ousby had four previous convictions in relation to drugs, including one for cultivating cannabis back in 2018.
Defence counsel stated: “He was fully co-operative with police. They had detected a smell outside his home. It is accepted by police and the prosecution that he was growing this for his own personal use, it being cheaper as he is unemployed.”
District Judge Eamonn King sentenced Ousby to three months in prison suspended for two years and ordered that he pay a fine of £250, along with the offender’s levy of £15.
