"It's just a little puff"

Wednesday 30 October 2019

A man has been fined £650 after he was caught sat in a car on the Jeffrey's forecourt with a glass jar of herbal cannabis in his hand.

On the 20 September at around 23:00, Joshua Holberry, 26, was sat in the passenger seat of his friend's car when they were approached by Guernsey Police.

Officers spoke to the defendant and realised that he was clearly under the influence of something. They got him out of the car to detain him and saw him trying to hide something in his hand.

The officers arrested Holberry and found a small glass jar with herbal cannabis inside. He told them they could have it because it was "just a little puff". 

The car was then searched, and more cannabis was seized. In total, 0.67g was found in the vehicle, while Holberry had 2.44g in his possession.

Holberry's friend had already been sentenced for possession of cannabis by the Magistrate's Court on a previous occasion - he had taken responsibility for the 0.67g in the car, and was fined £400. 

While Holberry had no previous drug convictions, he had been cautioned earlier in the year for being suspected of using drugs. 

Advocate Phoebe Cobb told Judge Gary Perry that her client had stopped using cannabis altogether since the incident, but he could not ignore Holberry's recent caution, and fined him a total of £650, or 32 days in prison by default. 

Holberry had been out of work since August, and so it was agreed he would pay £400 on the day, and £50 a week going forwards. 

Pictured top: Guernsey's Magistrate's Court.