ELY magistrates accepted a barrister s plea to allow a teenage cannabis user to escape punishment. Police charged the 16-year-old from Sutton after finding 0.3 grammes of cannabis when they searched his house. The boy, who cannot be named for legal reaso
ELY magistrates accepted a barrister's plea to allow a teenage cannabis user to escape punishment.
Police charged the 16-year-old from Sutton after finding 0.3 grammes of cannabis when they searched his house.
The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, admitted in police interview that he owned the drugs, but said in court last week that he no longer smokes cannabis.
He has been subject to a Referral Order since April, and has worked on his behavioural problems with a Youth Offender Panel, the court heard.
Mitigating, Jacqui Baldwin, said: "I make the exceptional request for an absolute discharge. Firstly the amount of cannabis found on my client is very small, worth less than £1, and secondly he has been fully co-operative with his Referral Order. Anything but an absolute discharge would revoke the order and could disrupt all that has been achieved."
The teenager was ordered to pay £50 costs.
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