Man from Chapel St Leonards who lost sight in attack used illegal drugs to ease pain

Carl Anthony Benham, 31, of South Road, admitted possession of cannabis and cocaine when he appeared before District Judge Peter Veits sitting at Boston Magistrates Court.

Prosecuting, Jim Clare said police searched Benham’s house on November 1 after he had been arrested on unrelated matters and they had found a quantity of cannabis and some cocaine in a cupboard in his kitchen.

He said Benham told officers it was for his own use and that he smoked seven grammes of cannabis a day.

Mitigating, Terry Boston said Benham was not trading and there was no suggestion he had been, but in the past year he had lost the sight in one eye and took cannabis for the pain he was experiencing. The attack took place at the Marine Boathouse last year.

He told the judge that Benham had spent all his benefit money, more than £300, on buying the cannabis.

Judge Veits told Benham he should go and see his doctor and have prescribed medicine to deal with the pain.

He warned Benham not to believe everything he read in the media and that he was breaking the law and this could lead to a prison sentence as well as brain damage from high cannabis use.

Benham was fined £300 and ordered to pay £115 in costs and charges and told was said to have spent the whole of his benefits on buying illegal drugs, has been told that if he could afford to buy cannabis, he could afford to pay a fine.

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