A BASINGSTOKE man who stocked up on a variety of Class A and B drugs before the country went into lockdown has been handed a community order.

Daniel Welby was stopped outside his home in Wellington Terrace on November 6, 2020, and was found with a small quantity of cannabis in his pocket. He was arrested.

Police carried out a further search of the room he occupied in the shared house and a large quantity of drugs were found.

The 34-year-old appeared at Winchester Crown Court last month where he pleaded guilty to seven counts of possessing Class A and B drugs.

Prosecutor Tim Dracass said that a drugs expert estimated that the wholesale value of the stash was £6,300.

The court was told officers found 19.7grams of crack cocaine, 55grams of cocaine, seven LSD tablets, 138 MDMA tablets, 7grams of MDMA in powder form, 98.3grams of amphetamine, 166.2grams of ‘skunk’ cannabis and 2grams of ketamine.

Mr Dracass said: “He accepted being in possession of these items and said he bought them in bulk for his own use because of the impending lockdown that the country was about to enter in November 2020, going into the festive period, and that is recognised in the psychiatric report.”

Welby, of Willmott Way, appeared at the same court on on Friday (February 11) where he was handed 12-month community order, in which he must complete 20 rehabilitation days and pay £400 court costs.

Recorder Don Tait also ordered that Welby was the subject of a mental health treatment requirement throughout the community order.

In mitigation, Alexandra Chessum said that at the time Welby was arrested he was unwell, adding: “But that was now over 12 months ago, he has done everything that a court, that your honour, would want him to be doing in terms of seeking him from Inclusion in respect of staying away from drugs.”

She continued: “He is clear from looking at the body-worn footage recorded by the police just how concerned they were at his presentation and they sought immediate assistance from the psychiatric team at Parklands.”

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