AN epileptic man from Walney claimed consultants told him smoking cannabis would do him "more good than harm."

Darren McCullough, 40, was caught with the drug after he dropped his stash on the floor of a shop, prosecutor Mr Andrew Travis told Furness Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.

He said: "It was about 8.30pm on December 9, last year when the defendant went into Tesco on Ocean Road. As he went to pay he dropped a knotted bag on the floor containing cannabis.

"Some youths picked it up and handed it in to staff.

"CCTV was checked and after six weeks they traced the defendant. He said it was for his own personal use and he used it because he had epilepsy."

McCullough, of Cote Ley Crescent, Walney, pleaded guilty to possession pf the class B drug.

Mr Trystan Roberts, defending, said: "This matter has taken six months to come to court. It is possession of a small amount of cannabis.

"He suffers from severe epilepsy and he has discussed his use of cannabis with his consultant. They said it will do him more good than harm as he only uses it occasionally.

"He has just moved into a ground floor flat as he kept injuring himself by falling downstairs during seizures. There are some very real mitigating circumstances in this case."

McCullough was fined £40 and ordered to pay a £20 victim surcharge plus £85 court costs.