A father who turned to drug dealing to help clothe and feed his children has walked free from court with a suspended sentence.

Deemster Graeme Cook told Lewis Smith that were it not for his family circumstances there would be no question that he would have received an immediate custodial sentence.

He handed down an 18-month jail term suspended for two years.

Smith, 33, admitted possession with intent to supply cannabis, simple possession of the class B drug and being concerned in its supply.

The court heard that on July 5 last year police executed a search warrant at Smith’s home on the Edremony estate in Port Erin.

When officers arrived, he told them: ‘Do you want me to show you where it is?’

He led them to an upstairs bedroom where they found a large quantity of cannabis bush in plastic box by the side of the bed.

More cannabis was found in another box and also in a tin in the kitchen which the defendant said was for his own personal use.

Officers seized just under a kilo of cannabis with a street value of £19,932 plus smaller amounts relating to simple possession. The court heard that Smith’s involvement in cannabis dealing had been limited up to October 2022 but he had then taken it up on more commercial basis.

In a ‘full and frank’ interview with police, he said he had supplied cannabis from his home address for the last six months to help support his family, saying he was doing it to clothe and feed his children.

He used Snapchat to arrange deals and had 10 to 11 regular customers but had supplied between 30 and 50 people.

The cannabis seized had been the largest amount he’d had in his home.

The court heard he had referred himself to Motiva8 addiction service and had now stopped using cannabis.

Handing down the 18-month suspended sentence together with a 18-month supervision order, Deemster Cook told him: ‘Cannabis is not the way forward.’