A 20-year-old Carlisle man took to selling cannabis to help a friend clear a drugs debt.

Daniel Graham was caught red-handed when police officers arrived unannounced at an address in the city, prosecutor Peter Bardsley told magistrates sitting at the city's Rickergate courts complex.

The defendant, of Granville Road, off Wigton Road, admitted possessing the class B drug with intent to supply.

The prosecutor told the court how, from the defendant's point of view, he had been in the wrong place at the wrong time on August 14, as police arrived at the address in Thomson Street looking for a missing person.

Instead, they found Graham and another man, the defendant, in possession of a black box which contained 10 small sealed snap-bags – each containing enough cannabis for a £10 street deal.

In total, the value of the cannabis seized by police was £160. Graham also had a set of electronic scales.

The defendant told police the box belonged to him but the cannabis belonged to his dealer, whose name he refused to give.

Mr Bardsley said: “He was reinterviewed on July 6 and said he was dealing cannabis to help a friend who was struggling to pay a drugs debt.

"He said he was a user of cannabis but he was now completely clean and had a job.”

There was also evidence of the defendant's dealing on his phone, said the lawyer.

Keith Thomas, for Graham, said the defendant had no previous criminal record but he had a friend who was in trouble with a drugs debt.

Since his arrest, he had sought help from a local drug support agency which had confirmed he was now drug free.

“He was trying to sell to his friends to help his friend out,” said Mr Thomas.

The barrister said the defendant's grandmother, who was in court to support him, had said Graham was now like his old self.

He had shown remorse and got himself back on the rails, said Mr Thomas. Magistrates imposed a four month 10pm to 6am curfew, along with £85 costs and an £85 victim surcharge.