A JUDGE has highlighted how an eagle-eyed Cumbrian police officer helped bring to justice a criminal who was caught acting as a 'cash courier' for his drug dealer.

Robert Davenport, 33, was caught after being stopped by a roads policing officer on the M6 near Penrith because he was clocked doing 90mph.

But when the officer involved became suspicious and searched the defendant's car he found almost £18,000 in cash hidden in plastic bags in the footwell.

The defendant admitted possessing criminal cash.

Tim Evans, prosecuting, said Davenport was driving his Seat Leon southwards on the M6 on November 11 last year when a roads policing officer stopped him just south of Southwaite Services.

"The defendant identified himself as Robert Davenport," said Mr Evans. The defendant claimed that he had been to Edinburgh for a job interview but he had been let down.

Suspicious, the officer searched the car and found the cash - divided up and stored in three 'dog poo' bags, each labelled with the amounts.

In total, there was £17.740.

"The defendant claimed he had sold a VW Polo the previous day but the police were not convinced, and quite rightly arrested him," said Mr Evans, pointing out that 70 per cent of the notes were Scottish.

Police discovered that Davenport was in debt and he eventually pleaded guilty on the basis that he was a courier, transporting criminal cash.

Paul Tweddle, for Davenport, said: "This gentleman got himself in financial difficulty and succumbed to a proposition from his dealer... He had a driving licence, a car and a cocaine habit. He found his cocaine habit very hard to break."

The defendant was also in financial turmoil, said the lawyer, adding that there was a positive Probation Service report on Davenport, of Cotton Lane, Withington, Manchester.

Recorder Philip Grundy noted the defendant had already spent three months on remand.

He imposed a 12 month community order, with 20 rehabilitation days and a three month curfew.

The judge said: "This indicates to the court how routine policing reveals far more serious and wide-ranging criminal activity and this is a very good example of a police officer going about his every-day duties and catching out a much more serious offence than speeding."