A Port Erin woman has been fined £600 for growing cannabis at her home after police found a cannabis plant and growing equipment in her bedroom.

Samantha Jade Bennett, aged 30, of Edremony, told police that she was a heavy cannabis user, which helped with ’severe anxiety’.

She admitted an offence of cultivating cannabis and was also ordered to pay £125 prosecution costs.

Prosecutor Barry Swain told the court how, on July 15, police were called to Bennett’s home after a report of a disturbance.

Bennett refused to let police in but entry was eventually forced.

The property was said to be smelling of cannabis and in Bennett’s bedroom police found a hydroponic tent, a plant and growing equipment.

Mr Swain said that the plant hadn’t been cultivated to fruition so it was not known what the yield would have been.

Bennett told police she had bought the equipment over a period of three or four months, then bought the cannabis seeds on the internet.

She said she was a heavy cannabis user and the plant was for personal use.

Defending Bennett in court advocate Pamela Pringle said: ’It was a relatively small plant.

’It was apparently a very young plant and my client hadn’t smoked any of the cannabis.

’She suffers from severe anxiety and tells me the only thing that really helps is cannabis.’

The court heard that Bennett had a previous caution for the same offence.

Deputy High Bailiff Jayne Hughes told Bennett: ’You should have learned from your caution.

’If you have anxiety there are other ways of dealing with it other than growing cannabis in your own home.’