PROMISING student Wai Kee Tang managed to escape a harsh penalty after he was caught with £70 of cannabis tucked into his sock.

The 19-year-old pleaded guilty at Wycombe Magistrates Court on Tuesday to possession of a controlled class B drug.

Magistrates took the unusual step of letting him off lightly with a conditional discharge after taking pity on the teenager because it was his first drug-related offence.

Balbir Seyan, prosecuting, told the court that Tang, of The Spinney, in Beaconsfield, had been arrested by police on March 3 for something completely different which turned out to be a case of mistaken identity.

However, he said Mr Tang had been searched by officers who discovered he had stuffed an ounce of cannabis, valued at £70, wrapped in cling-film down his left sock.

Simon Graham-Harrison, mitigating, said it was more than Tang would normally spend on cannabis but he had just been paid and was feeling flush.

He added: "The dealer was saying he was giving Mr Tang a good deal and he only wanted it for his own use.

"Many young people, not including myself it must be said, use it and believe there is no harm in it."

But he did say that Mr Tang realised it was wrong and would be much more careful in the future.

He said he was a promising student who had just completed three A-levels and had been accepted on to a Product Design course at Greenwich University.

He was ordered to pay £55 towards prosecution costs and given a conditional discharge for 12 months. An order was made for the drugs to be forfeited and destroyed.