Disabled drugs man spared prison

A disabled man who stored cannabis at his Norfolk home was spared going to prison because he suffers from angina.

Stephen Walpole, 43, hid 730 grams of cannabis resin, with a street value of £2,500, inside his Dereham home.

Judge Isobel Plumstead at Norwich Crown Court handed down a 12-month prison sentence, suspended by two years, after Walpole admitted two drug offences.

Walpole, who takes 32 tablets a day for his condition, was also ordered to complete a 12-month supervision order.

The drugs were seized during a police raid on the property in September 2005.

Judge Plumstead told him: "There are exceptional circumstances, not only because of your physical condition but also because you are vulnerable and have complex disabilities which would make prison harder for you."

He pleaded guilty to two counts of being concerned in the supply of cannabis.