A man was fined $2,000 for being in possession of crack cocaine just yards away from where students were leaving a Pembroke middle school.

Keith Derek Smith, 22, of Princess Street, Pembroke, pleaded not guilty to the charge, but then later changed his plea to guilty.

Crown counsel Cindy Clarke told Magistrates' Court that at 3.25 p.m. on September 12 of last year, Smith was seen shoving his hand into his front, right trouser pocket, before dropping a brown paper twist into a car. When Police officers approached, they questioned the owner of the car about the twist, but he denied any knowledge.

Ms Clarke suggested that Smith should be assessed for Drug Treatment Court, before he got a bad record. But Acting Senior Magistrate Carlisle Greaves asked Smith how long had he been using cocaine, to which he replied that it was his first time. Mr. Greaves said: "Then he is not an addict."

Smith was fined $1,000 for being in possession of the drug, and an additional $1,000 for being in an increased penalty zone - near to Dellwood Middle School.

He was to pay the fine by February 28.