A Hamilton Parish man has admitted possessing crack cocaine and cannabis, as well as owning an illegal pitbull.

Lekan Scott, 26, pleaded guilty to both offences at Magistrates’ Court this morning.

On January 16 this year, police officers in Paget stopped a car in which Scott was a passenger.

Upon searching him, they recovered a red container from his groin area containing 0.25 grams of crack and 0.33g of cannabis.

In court, the defendant denied needing drug rehabilitation treatment — claiming it was an isolated incident and he was “around the wrong people at the time”.

However, Scott agreed to undergo 12-month conditional discharge after Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo warned him that the alternative was a criminal conviction.

During this period, Scott must abstain from drugs and submit to random drug testing.

The conditional discharge will begin after Scott is released from prison, where he is currently on remand for a separate charge of possessing an illegal firearm and ammunition.

At the same court hearing, Scott admitted another charge of owning an illegal liver-and-white coloured female pitbull.

The dog was discovered at Scott’s home on February 5, after animal wardens and police officers arrived at the property with a search warrant.

Scott said that his dog — which was seized and later destroyed — was not dangerous, and that he had refrained from obtaining a licence as he knew it was an illegal breed.

Mr Tokunbo fined him $500, telling the defendant to pay in full by January 4, 2016 or face a further 50 days in prison.

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