Cocaine caution puzzles deputy high bailiff

Class A drugs found worth under £9

Deputy High Bailiff Jayne Hughes says she can’t understand why a man who had cocaine and ecstasy in his home has been given a caution.

Twenty-two-year-old Dieter Paul Johnson, of Berrywoods Grove in Douglas, faced two counts of possessing class A drugs when he appeared at Douglas Courthouse this week.

On 20 August, police were called to his house and searched it after smelling cannabis when his girlfriend answered the door.

They didn’t find any cannabis but did unearth £4.68 worth of MDMA and £4.30 worth of cocaine.

Prosecution advocate Rebecca Cubbon said although Johnson had previous convictions, none were for class A drugs.

She said under the circumstances, she was happy to withdraw the charges as he had accepted a formal caution for the offences.

But Mrs Hughes questioned the Attorney General’s policy on issuing cautions.

She said: “How anybody possessing two different class A drugs can be dealt with by way of a caution is frankly beyond me, but it has been done.”