A TEENAGER who was looking after a woman's drugs stash, has walked free from court.

Daniel Morgan, 18, had tried to hide the ecstasy tablets and cannabis resin from officers who turned up at the woman's Bacup home. Burnley Crown Court heard how he concealed the haul, with a total street value of more than £700, out of misguided loyalty.

Sentencing Morgan, who had admitted possessing ecstasy and cannabis with intent to supply, Judge David Puree told him he suspected the teenager didn't know how serious the offences were. If drugs of that sort were supplied normally, at clubs or pubs for example, an older person could expect to go to prison for five years.

The judge added that Jeanette Young, whose drugs they were, had been given a suspended jail term and it would be quite wrong for him to deprive Morgan of his liberty.

Morgan, of Thorn Bank, Bacup, was given 80 hours community service, and must pay £70 costs. Sue Riley, prosecuting, told the court officers went to Young's house on Pennine Road, Bacup, Morgan, asked if he could use the toilet and was heard to move something around. He was searched and a total of 9.6gms of cannabis, worth £50 on the streets, and 68 half ecstasy tablets, worth £690, were found.

Morgan, who was arrested and taken to the police station.

He accepted the drugs were recovered from his pocket, said they belonged to a friend and he was shortly to return them. Andrew Lawson, defending, said the drugs 'stash' had been upstairs in the house and Morgan tried to do Young a favour out of misguided loyalty. He was in possession of them, for but a few seconds.

Morgan was a young, immature man. He had now moved back with his mother, was behaving himself and was due to start a job. Mr Lawson urged the court to conditionally discharge the defendant for one or two years.

While 'at first blush' that may seem a lenient sentence, it would be a severe penalty and 'hang over him.'

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