A labourer has been fined £500 for possessing £50 worth of cocaine.

Liam Bradley admitted the offence.In coverage of a previous court appearance, we reported that police were performing vehicle checks at the Hairpin on the Mountain Road on December 14 when they stopped Bradley.

The 28-year-old was driving a Volkswagen Golf and a search of the car found a wrap containing 0.5 grams of cocaine.

He was arrested and when interviewed told police that he used the drug every weekend.

Bradley, who lives in Castlemona Avenue, Douglas, said he used between one and three grams a week and the wrap must have fallen out of his pocket in the car, but would not say where he got the drug from.

Defence advocate Ian Kermode asked for credit to be given for his client’s immediate guilty plea and pointed out that it was a very small amount of the drug.

Mr Kermode said that Bradley had no previous convictions involving class ’A’ drugs.

Magistrates ordered him to pay the fine and costs at a rate of £20 per week.