A 40-year-old Harefield mother-of-four, caught with nearly £800 worth of cannabis resin, got away with a fine at Isleworth Crown Court on Friday when she denied supplying the drug but claimed it was for her own use.

The drugs were found in a dawn raid on Marion Smith's home in Newdigate Road, hidden under a flagstone in her garden, said prosecutor Caroline Carberry. 'At first she and her husband denied all knowledge of the drugs to the police,' she said. 'But Mrs Smith later admitted ownership'.

Smith, who still has three children at home, admitted a charge of possessing the drug on May 28 last year but denied intending to supply it.

Police also found £210 cash in her handbag and a book containing a list of names. But, Wendy Fisher-Gordon, defending, said she bought the cannabis for about £260 for her own use. 'She has been having a difficult time and had split up with her husband. She was drinking too much and putting on weight so she switched to cannabis'.

The cash was for the purchase of a car, she added.

Accepting her plea the Judge, assistant-recorder David Tomlinson, commented: 'You have to have a very substantial habit to buy this amount in bulk. This is not a happy position for a woman with children still at home to be in'.

He fined her £500 with £100 costs to be paid at the rate of £20 a week.