A single parent who grew cannabis in the front bedroom of her East Cowes home to feed her daily habit has been fined £80 by the courts.
Dawn Burt, 39, of Vectis Road in East Cowes found herself in court on Tuesday charged with being concerned in the production of a Class B drug after failing to comply with the terms of a conditional caution previously offered to her.
Ann Smout, prosecuting, told the Isle of Wight Magistrates Court earlier this week that Police had visited Burt’s address in connection with an unrelated matter – an attempt to locate a male who once lived at the address. She said that officers insisted they enter the property, where they located 6 cannabis plants – a Class B drug – growing in a bedroom.
In interview, the mother-of-2 said she was growing the cannabis so she didn’t have to buy it off the street. She admitted to using the drug daily.
Due to Burt’s previous good character, she was offered a conditional caution, the condition being that she completed a course with the Hampton Trust. However, she failed to attend the course and was therefore summoned to court.
Defending, Henry Farley said that his client was not able to make the dates given to her and therefore failed to attend the course as required. Mr Farley said that Burt is a mum to 2 children and receives £748 a month on Universal Credit, with a further £335 per month in Disability Living Allowance for her son and also child benefit for both children.
Magistrates fined Dawn Burt £80 and ordered her to pay £85 costs with a £34 surcharge.
Over a grand a month along with every other allowance going she ain’t doing bad .
A person working after deductions and their outgoing wouldn’t be as well off as this with all her add on benefits ,council tax etc etc etc etc
Disgrace to society
should of been hit harder for her addiction they need teaching a lesson or 2
Burdensome, junkie leech – needs to get a job and support herself and her family instead of sponging off the taxpayer.
Oink Oink
Oh, you know this person do you?
Single yet never sleeps alone I wager, many of these are ONLY single to claim more benefit, topped up by a kept quiet live in lovers benefits and selling and growing dope.
DON’T be fooled, leave the benefit gang and gullible to fall for ‘single parent’ rubbish.
All a ploy to gain more benefits.
She does sleep alone her man goes home to his wife and kids every night
Where’s my comment disappeared to
It probably went straight to the bin Molly
So that’s on a par with what I take home monthly for working a stressy responsibile job. And I wonder how much of her ‘income’ is actually spent on the kids? Not sure why IE report her ‘income’ but if it’s to pee people off and anger them well, it’s worked with me. Grrr.
This is quite out of character for East Cowes, isn’t it?
Another drug fiend, corrupting the young. I think it’s terrible.
There’s many working people on the island earning less than someone on benefits, how can anyone think that is acceptable?
Smoke weed every day
Why bother to work when you get over £1200 a month plus i guess council tax benefits, having children is a personal life choice so why should the taxpayers fund them.
HOW MUCH IN BENEFITS? I had to read this several times to actually believe it!!! I bet she gets her Council Tax paid as well. I have worked all my adult life and have never claimed a penny in benefits. I think I’ve done it all wrong. What a complete idiot I’ve been by thinking that it’s been my responsibility to provide for my family!!!!
do you have a disabled child?
Is the child actually disabled or is it an easy tag that alot use like autism
These people have no idea what their talking about
keyboard warriors the lot of them
it’s a few plants for personal use ffs should have been given a caution at most. and she has a disabled child so why all the hate about being a scrounger?
Welcome to the Island Echo comments section. You will find at least 75% of the commenters are hateful, nasty and self-righteous.
Yep, most of the commenters on here seem to be angels. Their $hit don’t stink, and they’re living in the 1950s still.
Too many cars! Bring back corporal punishment etc etc.
I work 45+ hours a week in construction, I drive a van and reading the comments on the van parked outside the lifeboat I’m a van driving scumbag too I guess? I park on double yellows daily to load/unload as allowed to by the relevent road traffic order.
Echo only put this ladies income to wind you fools up and it’s worked too.
Yes well done stg glad you said that totally true I drive a van and a scumbag not .these perfect people on here have nothing else to do but moan
The comments on here are the worst. I despair for humanity
Because she is she could quite easily get a job
Wow, the mouth breathers are out in force today, aren’t they?
Previous good character, so this woman gets to 39 without getting into trouble, gets caught with some pot that is clearly for her own use and the regular holier-than-thou brigade let rip with their usual nasty diatribes.
As for the benefits? Did you geniuses not spot that £335 of that is DLA for her son? In order to qualify for that rate her son will have quite severe levels of disability (and it is checked, before you ask), so she is quite likely a full time carer.
What do you geniuses think she should do, go out to work and let her disabled child fend for himself?
thank god there is another rational minded person on this hate filled island. these people make me ashamed to be an islander
You don’t have to associate yourself with them, just like I don’t associate myself with potheads.
Couldn’t agree more, my apologies for the long post, doubt the dins will be able to read till the end but hey!
I can’t dispute that cannabis is against the law to grow or posses in this country, however alcohol (a drug) that was illegal during the prohibition era in the USA didn’t stop people drinking or making their own drinks, they were stronger and more dangerous then regulated alcohol.
The world moves on and many countries around the world are decriminalising cannabis and research is being carried out by top scientists around the world on the potential benefits of THC and CBD.
Sativex is a home office approved cannabis derived medication. Surprising Theresa Mays husband has a very very large stake in that company.
The UK is one of the biggest producers of medicinal cannabis worldwide.
Another note, Victoria Atkins who has held positions in government as the Minister of State for Prisons and Probation until July 2022 as well as other top jobs in government, turns out her husband also makes a lot of money from involvement in ‘legal cannabis farms’ ?
I’m no conspiracy theorist but does kinda look a bit like one rule for one and one rule so the rich get richer?
I really do welcome any debate from anyone with opposing views to mine, we don’t all think the same but we are all human.
It’s just the way some of you talk about people you deem to be scum based on a one page article!
Seems to me like you’re either without sin and therefore are able to cast stones at anyone you see as a target.
I welcome and encourage a response, don’t just down vote because you disagree. Let’s have a debate.
If you read this far thanks. Chris.
Shod she be smoking Dope with a severely Disabled Child…..?
Prob needs to more than any to cope ??
Some of the comments I’m reading are really awful. She wasn’t growing to sell on, 6 plants is not going to make you a kingpin or a millionaire. Alcohol causes more problems in society than cannabis and the studies being conducted all over the world (apart from uk) are very positive. It’s dramatically changes the life of people with certain disabilities i.e…Parkinson’s, autism, all types of cancer (even curing cancer without medications and procedures), bulimia, anorexia, chronic pain conditions, certain types of mental health conditions, epilepsy, the list goes on. She’s also a mother to which it states her child gets disability so she work….
…for the state. All stories told are never the whole truth, just to rile people up. Just cause someone smokes cannabis doesn’t make them a druggy or a bad person, every person, every situation is unique and different. More people are addicted to precription medication and alcohol than cannabis smokers. I’m neither for or against cause if it doesn’t affect my life it doesn’t matter. People are so quick to judge and condemn others yet their far from perfect humans themselves
Don’t mention the kids thst aren’t with her there’s a lot more than 2. She did have a full time job til she had a married blokes kid . Just saying.
She must be struggling being a full time mum with 2 kids and an addiction. Seems like she could do with some help.
Wow such hatred. The governments press machine has taught them well.
I don’t like weed, don’t like the smell, but it should be legalised. Give the pubs the licence to sell it, this will be an important and for some, life saving revenue scheme. Will also allow for some control on the strength of the weed. Will remove the money from the pockets of the dealers. It’s a win win.
So Britain would rather the money go to the criminals. Wow how corrupt.