A PERSONAL trainer from Anglesey has been jailed this afternoon after he was convicted of possessing cannabis with intent to supply.

A judge told defendant Simon Dormain that he tried to pull the wool over the jury’s eyes and that he should have pleaded guilty.

Dormain, 36, of Tan y Bryn in Amlwch, claimed that the cannabis seized by police was for his own personal medical use.

It was being used for pain relief, he said.

But after a retirement of nearly three hours the jury at Mold Crown Court convicted him by a ten to two majority.

He was jailed for 18 months.

Judge Niclas Parry told him: “You tried to pull the wool over the jury’s eyes.

“You should have pleaded guilty. You know that the court’s hands are tied.”

He warned that the starting point for such an offence was 12 months but could go up to three years.

His case was aggravated by the fact that while a some time ago he had a previous conviction for possessing the most harmful class A drugs with intent to supply.

Judge Parry said that he was satisfied that the defendant was reliant for medical comfort on cannabis.

“But you know that you were also profiting beyond that,” he said.

He was prepared to take into account in sentencing the fact that his medical condition would make a prison sentence for difficult for him to serve.

Dormain received 18 month concurrent sentences for possessing cannabis with intent to supply and possessing £4,500 as criminal property.

He received no separate penalty for possessing a small amount of magic mushrooms which he had admitted at an early stage.

A police investigation under The Proceeds of Crime Act now takes place.

Prosecuting barrister Richard Edwards told the court that police executed a search warrant at the defendant’s home.

The door was unlocked, the lights were on, and 74 grammes of cannabis and cash had been recovered.

Defending barrister Simon Killeen said that his client used cannabis for medicinal reasons.

He was in pain, had a tumour removed from his nose and was awaiting treatment for another.

Dormain told the court that the cannabis was for his own use because of the pain and said that the cash was £3,000 from his mother and the remainder was from his earnings as a personal trainer and martial arts instructor.

The court heard that Dormain had previous convictions for 23 offences and in 2009 at Caernarfon Crown Court he was jailed for four years for possessing amphetamine with intent to supply, attempting to do so, and production of a class C drug.