Drug raid ‘last straw’ for wife

HUSBAND GETS ASKED TO MOVE OUT FOLLOWING CANNABIS FIND

A MAN turned to cannabis to help with his depression – but the resulting police raid on his home finished his marriage, a court heard.

James Barton used the class B drug instead of prescribed medication, which he said had unpleasant side-effects.

However, a police raid on his family home last year proved to be the final straw for his wife, who asked him to leave.

Barton, of Hat Road, Braunstone Town, appeared at Leicester Magistrates’ Court to admit a single offence of cannabis possession.

Prosecutor Robert Carr told the court police executed the search warrant under the Misuse of Drugs Act at Mr Barton’s former address on September 14.

He immediately admitted he had four cannabis spliffs stored in a bag in his garage.

Officers found the bag and found a grinder with remnants of cannabis on it and four jars which had cannabis in them.

Mr Carr said: “When interviewed, Mr Carr said the cannabis was for his own personal medical use.”

He has a previous conviction for possession with intent to supply cannabis, Mr Carr said.

Barton’s solicitor, Velma Ferdinand, told the court he had cooperated with police at the scene by telling them immediately where he was storing the drug.

Ms Ferdinand said: “He is now separated from his wife as a result of this incident.

“He tells me his marriage was basically on rocky ground because of his health difficulties, but this was the final straw for his wife and she asked him to leave their home.

“So he has suffered for his actions.

“He suffers from depression and anxiety and tells me he was prescribed medication, but the sideeffects were unpleasant for him so he used cannabis to ease his difficulties.

“He was weaning himself off it and this was the final straw for him, too, he has not used it since that time. He had been married for 16 years. He does have a history with drugs, but this is of a slightly different nature to that previous conviction.”

Barton is doing a business and administration course and is “trying to better himself,” Ms Ferdinand said.

Magistrate Simon Edwards told Barton his previous offence of possession with intent to supply had been taken into account in his sentence, but so too had his early guilty plea to the new offence.

He was fined £120 and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £34. Magistrates also ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the cannabis.

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