A sickle cell anaemia sufferer claimed he smoked cannabis on the recommendation of his doctor.

Craig Spencer, 29, a man with no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to being in possession of the drug and also to obstructing Police when he appeared in Magistrates? Court yesterday.

But Spencer explained to Acting Senior Magistrate Carlisle Greaves that his physician recommended he take the drug to alleviate his symptoms.

He said that his body frequently became tense and that he suffered from involuntary and very painful erections.

Spencer, of Two Way Lane, Pembroke, said that he had been receiving injections of Pethadone and was due to start a series of methadone injections.

But instead of becoming addicted to methadone ? which is more addictive than heroine ? he was advised to smoke cannabis.

In court yesterday he said: ?It relaxes me. Otherwise I get a hard on that won?t go down and it?s painful.

Crown counsel Wayne Caines told the court that Police stopped Spencer on the evening of June 12 on a routine traffic matter.

But the defendant began acting nervously and so officers decided to carry out a search of his cycle. Spencer then ran off and jumped over a four foot wall before being arrested by Police, who saw him throw a brown paper twist into nearby bushes. The twist was later retrieved and found to contain cannabis.

Mr. Greaves fined him $500 for each offence.