Neil Clarke, 20, was stopped by police in a back lane near Bucks Road in Douglas on 1 June 2024 after being seen acting suspiciously and “shaking”, and a search found nine wraps of cannabis hidden in his trousers.[1]

Douglas Courthouse heard officers found the cannabis, which was worth £168, after searching Clarke, who had been noticed to smell strongly of the drug.[1] Prosecutors said the number of wraps was evidence of intent to supply, while Clarke told police the drug was for personal use and later claimed an unnamed person had told him to collect it.[1]

At the time of his arrest, Clarke was on probation for a similar drugs offence, which the court treated as an aggravating factor.[1] Deemster Graeme Cook sentenced Clarke to six months in prison, suspended for two years, along with a two-year supervision order, calling him a young man who had lost his way.[1]