AN Abingdon man who bulk-bought discount cannabis during the Covid lockdown has avoided jail.

Nathaniel Graham was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court on Monday (March 18) after being caught with almost £10,000 in street value of cannabis in December 2020.

The court heard the 33-year-old had bought the Class B drugs at a discounted value due to the Covid lockdown having an impact on-street sales at the time.

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He was charged with possession with intent to supply as he accepted that he had intended to sell some of the drugs to his friends.

Sentencing him to a 12-month community order, Judge Nigel Daly said: “I’m not going to send you to prison for something that happened all those years ago.”

Addressing the barristers, he added: “Since 2021, he appears to have turned his life around and be living a stable and productive life.”

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During the sentencing, it was heard Graham’s home in Millbank Way was searched in 2020 and a quantity of cannabis and drug paraphernalia was found in the conservatory amounting to £4,400 in wholesale and £9,300 in street value.

In May 2021, he was found with a further £600 in street value of cannabis.

Defencing the landscaper, barrister George Josef said he had lost his job during the pandemic and had bought the cannabis discounted to sell to friends.