Hovercraft passenger crossed Solent then got caught with cannabis

A HOVERCRAFT passenger was caught with cannabis by police not long after he reached the Isle of Wight, a court was told.

Jay Clasper, of Lower Woodside Road, Wootton Bridge, admitted possession of cannabis on April 26, when he appeared at the Isle of Wight Magistrates' Court on Friday (June 28).

Police, acting on information received that a male was travelling to the Island from Southsea, smelling strongly of cannabis, was stopped for a drugs search as he headed towards his vehicle from the hovercraft terminal in Ryde, said Lauren Stone, prosecuting.

Officers discovered a cannabis joint in his coat pocket and a small amount of herbal cannabis on his person.

The unemployed 22-year-old has a criminal record of 26 convictions for 44 offences, committed between 2020 and last year, of which a number were for drugs, the bench was told.

For Clasper, Michael McGoldrick said his client has "an incredibly small amount" of cannabis on him.

Clasper was fined £80, with £85 costs and a £32 surcharge.