Student offered drugs to lecturer

A STUDENT has been ordered to do unpaid work after offering a “party bag” of drugs to his lecturer at Suffolk College.

Joseph Sample, 48, appeared at South East Suffolk Magistrates' Court yesterday after pleading guilty to two charges of possession and two of offering to supply cannabis at the college between September and November last year.

The court heard Sample offered his lecturer some herbal cannabis after dropping off some books at the college.

Prosecuting solicitor Andrea Reynolds said: “The defendant produced a bag and said “here's a party bag for you and your wife.”. The lecturer made it clear he wasn't interested.”

Sample, of Queens Road, Sudbury, then offered a fellow student some drugs.

Miss Reynolds said: “The authorities were alerted and Mr Sample was searched. He was cooperative and 4.4grammes of herbal cannabis were found on him with a street value of £22.

“A subsequent search at his home found 15.9grammes of herbal cannabis worth £79.”

The court heard Sample had turned to cannabis as a substitute for his alcohol addiction.

Defending Nikki Miller said: “Mr Sample completely misread the situation. He had seen the lecturer smoking and he assumed he would be tolerant of cannabis and maybe sympathetic to his case.

“Mr Sample had been in a café with his fellow student, who is Portuguese, so they conversed in French. In his clumsy French he offered to share a spliff on the way back to the college.”

The court heard Sample is trying to get his life back in order but is currently unemployed.

Magistrates handed down a 13 week suspended prison sentence for the four offences.

Sample was also ordered to do 180 hours of unpaid work for the community and ordered to pay £40 prosecution costs. They also made an order for the forfeiture and destruction of the drugs.

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