A woman has been spared prison after pleading guilty to possession of cannabis with intent to supply and possession of criminal property, namely £5,030 in cash.
Lesley Watterson, aged 27, of King William’s Terrace, Castletown, was handed a suspended sentence supervision order by Deemster Graeme Cook on Friday.
Police executed a search warrant at Watterson’s home on April 19. Watterson was at home with her two children and when asked if any drugs were present she told officers: ’It’s in the bathroom.’
Cannabis weighing 145.7 grams was found, valued at £2,914. Three other additional amounts of the drug were also found on the premises weighing a total of 25.1 grams, valued at £502.
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Prosecutor Hazel Caroon said officers also found a bag containing £5,030 in cash which Watterson said was from selling cannabis.
Defence advocate David Clegg said Watterson is a good mother and a ’relatively young lady who got out of her depth’. He added that she was using cannabis for her anxiety and that she regretted selling the drug.
Deemster Cook said that given the amount of money police found, Watterson ’must have been selling for some time’.
Mr Clegg agreed but said that not all of the money was her’s and described Watterson as being the ’bottom of the tree’.
Addressing Watterson, Deemster Cook said: ’Anybody who gets involved in this type of activity, the custody threshold is past.’
However, he recognised that if he was to send her to prison, it would have a significant impact on her young children. He added that Watterson ’needs to be aware of how lucky she’s been’.
Deemster Cook said: ’If you come back before me, I will have no alternative but to impose an immediate custodial sentence.
’Anyone who gets involved in this sort of activity on this island can be warned, they face custody.’
He sentenced Watterson to eight months imprisonment for possession with intent to supply and six months for possession of criminal property, to run concurrently.
However, Deemster Cook suspended the sentences for 12 months with a supervision order. He added: ’You are a young woman with two young children, you need to get your act together.’