A teenager who drove while under the influence of cannabis has been put on probation for 12 months and given a two-and-a-half year driving ban.

Talat Cemal Kilic was already on bail for being in charge of a vehicle while under the influence of cannabis when he committed the driving offence.

He pleaded guilty to both charges, as well as two others, of possessing cannabis and having a vehicle in a dangerous condition.

High Bailiff Jayne Hughes also ordered the 19-year-old to take an extended driving test at the end of his ban.

Prosecuting advocate Barry Swain told the court that Kilic, who lives at Queen’s Promenade in Douglas, was driving a white BMW on September 28, at 6.40pm.

He was parked at Marown playing fields when a member of the public called the police and reported a smell of cannabis.

Officers located Kilic’s BMW later, parked at Buck’s Road in Douglas.

He was seen getting into the driver’s seat and spoken to by officers.

A drug wipe test proved positive for cannabis and he was subsequently arrested and charged with being in charge of a vehicle while under the influence of the class B drug.

A sample of blood was taken at police headquarters which later produced a result of three.

The legal limit of cannabis is two.

While on police bail for that, Kilic was seen driving the same BMW in Ramsey on November 10, at 12.40am.

He was stopped at Ramsey Hairpin and officers reported a smell of cannabis coming from the car.

A drug wipe test proved positive for the drug.

Kilic told police he had just returned to the island from England.

A search of the BMW found a snap bag in the door compartment containing 51.4 grams of cannabis, valued by police at £293.

At police headquarters, a blood sample was taken which later produced a reading of 6.3.

The BMW was taken to the vehicle test centre and defects were found with all four tyres.

Kilic handed in a prepared statement to police, claiming that he did not know how the cannabis had got into the car, but that he had left the vehicle in a car park in Leeds for a time, as he had lost the car key.

A probation report said that Kilic said he struggled with anxiety and mental health issues, and had started using cannabis at age 17, initially for experimentation.

The report said that the teenager would benefit from some support and recommended a period of probation as the most appropriate sentence.

He was said to be in his first year at college, studying creative media.

Defence advocate Paul Rodgers asked for credit to be given for his client’s guilty pleas and said that the readings were not the highest.

Mr Rodgers urged the court to follow the recommendation of the probation report and said that the mandatory driving ban would be a punishment.

‘Mr Kilic has been highly embarrassed by these offences being in the newspaper,’ said the advocate.

‘That has caused him to re-evaluate his cannabis consumption.’

The High Bailiff also ordered Kilic to pay £125 prosecution costs by March 14.

She told the teenager: ‘You are clearly a creative person who has a good future if only you can grasp the opportunity.

‘The fewer people who drive with cannabis in their system, the better for everyone else on the island.’