A CIRCUS volunteer who admits being a 'lifelong' cannabis user illegally visited a property in Penrith that had been closed to visitors by the police because of antisocial behaviour.

But 52-year-old Darren Perry-Stewart said he committed the offence at Castle Court on October 9 because the occupant was dealing with “similar issues” to those he faced and he was taking her away for a break.

At Carlisle's Rickergate court, the defendant admitted contravening a closure order which was imposed on the property last month which meant that only the tenant was allowed to be inside the property.

Police applied for the court order to combat what they said was an 'extensive' period of anti-social behaviour associated with the property.

When he was arrested, police found that Perry-Stewart, from Rampkin Pastures, Appleby, was carrying cannabis – an offence he also admitted.

In court, he told magistrates he was a lifelong cannabis user and had lived all over the world, including in countries where possessing the Class B drug is legal. He accepted that was not an excuse.

He said the tenant at the property was going through “similar issues” to those he had faced, though he had been sober for eight years. Perry-Stewart said he was a good friend of the tenant’s mother.

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“I do a lot of advocacy work,” he said.

“It’s charity work, helping people who are actively trying to achieve recovery. It’s a long process. In previous [before the offence], we’d met three to four times per week just to make sure she had something to do with her life.

“That night, we were going to Windermere to stay for a few days, just to get her out of that situation. She’s waiting for a call about detox. I had my rucksack with my belongings and we were going to the bus, just around the corner from the house; I went into the house and left my rucksack there.”

It was as he was going back to the house to grab the bags that he encountered the police, said Perry-Stewart. He went on to explain that he volunteers with a circus, but had suffered lead poisoning while in the US.

Magistrates fined the defendant £80, with £85 costs and a £32 surcharge.

After the case, Perry-Steward said he worked on marquees and ‘rigging’ for the trapeze artists who perform with the circus.