A DEFENDANT found with nearly £10,000 worth of cannabis in his shed has been handed a suspended sentence.

Shaun Hodge, aged 35, appeared at Dorchester Crown Court to be sentenced after admitting a charge of possessing the class B drug cannabis with intent to supply.

Prosecutor Simon Edwards told the court that police carried out a search at Hodge’s home in Wiltshire Avenue in Weymouth on November 18 last year.

He said the defendant was honest with police and said he did have a large amount of herbal cannabis in his shed in the garden, which he described as his ‘man cave’.

Mr Edwards said Hodge handed officers a white container which, when analysed, was found to contain 984 grams of cannabis with an estimated street value of £9,850.

Officers also found a further small bag of cannabis containing six grams of the drug, with a street value of around £60.

When interviewed Hodge claimed he had been given the drugs to look after and had put them in his shed the previous night.

Mr Edwards said Hodge had pleaded guilty on the accepted basis that he was the custodian of the cannabis and was not selling it personally.

He said: “It’s not our case that he was engaged in the criminal supply.”

The court was told Hodge had a total of 12 previous convictions for 17 offences.

Tim Shorter, mitigating, said that none of the previous convictions were for drug related offences and added that Hodge has since given up cannabis.

He added: “He was acting nothing more or less than a custodian.”

Judge Jonathan Fuller told Hodge: “This quantity is a wholesale quantity, which would be sold to street dealers who would then supply to users.

“The reality is because of the association you had with the wholesaler your choice was to assist him in concealing the drugs and therefore assist in his offending.”

The judge sentenced Hodge to eight months in prison, suspended for two years.

He was also ordered to carry out 160 hours of unpaid work in the community and made subject to an activity requirement and a programme requirement.