A 22-year-old drug user has been fined £500 for cannabis possession.

Matthew Darius Brown admitted having 4.3 grams of the drug, valued by police at £134.

Prosecuting advocate Hazel Carroon told magistrates this week that police went to Brown’s home on April 7 at 9pm on an unrelated matter.

A search of the property found the cannabis and he was subsequently arrested.

When interviewed he gave ’no comment’ responses to all questions.

Defence advocate Sara-Jayne Dodge said that her client had no previous convictions and asked for credit to be given for his guilty plea at the first opportunity.

Ms Dodge said that Brown, who lives in Carmane Close, Peel, was a ’recreational user’ of cannabis, smoking it as a means of stress release.

Magistrates also ordered him to pay £50 prosecution costs which he will pay, along with the fine, at a rate of £30 per month.