A CARLISLE plumber caught with cannabis worth more than £3,000 has admitted selling the class B drug to fund his habit.

But Paul Joseph Watson, 36, has now turned his life around, and is no longer using the drug after switching to a healthier lifestyle that regularly features yoga and regular skateboarding, the city’s crown court heard.

The defendant, from Briscoe, near Carlisle, was prosecuted after police raided his home in June, 2020, as part of an investigation into a people smuggling plot.

Though he was cleared of any involvement in that conspiracy offence after a trial, police charged him with possessing cannabis with intent to supply because they found 368g of cannabis flowering heads when they raided his home.

He later pleaded guilty to that offence.

Prosecutor Christopher Rose told the court: “The cannabis had a street value of £3,680. He was interviewed and said the cannabis was his and he was addicted to its use.

"He regularly bought cannabis in bulk quantities for his own use.”

The defendant also accepted that he sold the drug to other people.

A probation officer in court said the defendant disclosed that at the time he was a “weekly user” of cannabis “in quite small quantities.”

He was dealing to fund his habit.

“It’s been a salutary lesson,” defence barrister Kim Whittlestone told the court. “He is no longer using cannabis and taken to yoga and skateboarding.”

Judge Nicholas Barker said that since the cannabis was found, “a lot of water has passed under the bridge.”

He accepted Watson no longer abuses the drug and was living a healthier lifestyle. He imposed a 12-month community order with 100 hours of unpaid work.