Telford man, 28, 'did not realise he was a drug dealer'
A cannabis user from Telford who bought in bulk and sold to his friends to cover the cost of his habit had not realised he was a drug dealer, a court heard.
Lee Robert Sharp had opened the door for police when they arrived at his house to search it and was even holding a plastic tub of cannabis to show them, Telford magistrates were told.
Sharp, of Majestic Way, Aqueduct, pleaded guilty to one count of possessing cannabis with intent to supply when he appeared at Telford Magistrates Court on Monday.
His solicitor said Sharp had been "refreshingly honest" about his cannabis arrangements.
Prosecuting, Mrs Katie Price, said that officers had found cannabis with a value of between £530 and £1,545 when they raided the defendant's home on February 6.
Mrs Price said the defendant had admitted to police that he had a cannabis habit and that he had been selling the drug to a small group of friends to cover his costs.
At the time of the raid the 28-year-old had been living with his partner and children.
For Sharp, Mr Jonathan Mason said the defendant was "not a street dealer as such".
"The police were stunned when he said in interview that he had been selling drugs for his friends," he said.
"It's not an operation where he's making thousands of pounds – he was making about £20," said Mr Mason.
Sharp was given a 12-month community order including 125 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay £85 prosecution costs and a £60 victim surcharge.
A spokesperson for the probation service said: "He didn't realise that he was drug dealing. "
