A visitor who was caught with cannabis at the airport has been banned from the island for five years.

Niall Caraher, from Manchester, admitted importing the class B drug to the island and was also fined £200 by Acting Deputy High Bailiff Graeme Cook.

Prosecuting advocate Hazel Carroon told the court that 32-year-old Caraher arrived on a flight from Liverpool on November 14, at 3pm.

He was stopped by security staff for a search, and 3.5 grams of cannabis bush was found in his suitcase, in the pocket of a pair of shorts.

He was quizzed about his reasons for visiting the island but was unable to provide details of where he intended to stay or why he was here.

His ticket had only been bought that morning and he was due to return the following day.

After being arrested and taken to police headquarters, Caraher, who lives at Johnson Street in Manchester, was interviewed and claimed that he had been to the island four times previously.

He said he would usually book his trips at short notice, as he said he suffered from anxiety and depression, and would come to the island to ‘clear his head’.

He still could not provide any hotel details or names of places on the island he had previously visited, apart from Pizza Hut, which he claimed his hotel was near.

Caraher was then said to have become defensive after being asked about people he knew on the island, telling police: ‘I don’t understand why you need to know.’

He then claimed that someone he used to know in the army was on the island, and said that the cannabis had been left in his shorts pocket and forgotten about, after he had been on a trip to Cyprus.

Ms Carroon asked the court to consider an exclusion order.

Defence advocate Helen Lobb said: ‘Mr Caraher takes full responsibility for the cannabis.

‘It was for personal use, he had not intended to supply it.  It was forgotten about in his pocket when he packed his suitcase.’

Ms Lobb said that the defendant had been in custody for two nights before his court appearance and had no previous drug-related convictions.

The advocate said that Caraher could pay any financial penalty immediately and would not object to an exclusion order.

He was also ordered to pay £125 prosecution costs, which he must pay, along with the fine, within seven days.