A dad-to-be resorted to dealing cannabis after he lost his job.

Ryan Gary Miller, of Western Street in Old Town, found himself suddenly without work whilst his girlfriend was pregnant, and “relented” when his dealer offered him work to make money.

Swindon Magistrates’ Court heard that Miller was stopped by police on May 21, 2021, when officers believed there was a smell of cannabis.

He and his vehicle were searched and 30 deal bags of herbal cannabis, £435 in cash and a phone was found, prosecutor Kate Prince said.

“He admitted in interview he had been dealing drugs over the last week to overcome some financial issues,” she said.

“He’d yet to profit from the drugs and admitted he was working for someone to earn some money.

“He is clearly the bottom of the chain.”

Defending, Stephen Collins said “you can probably count on the fingers of one hand the amount of times you have people go into interview and say ‘yes I had possession of these drugs and I was selling them”.

“It happens once in a very blue moon,” he continued.

“He could see the writing was on the wall and wanted to get as much credit as he could. He didn’t mess the police around.”

Mr Collins said Miller was “on very hard times back then”, with his girlfriend pregnant and him out of work.

“He wanted to support her and his child.

“He was a user himself and his dealer suggested it was a way of making money.

“Initially he said no, time’s gone by, things got harder, and eventually he relented.”

But, Mr Collins said that “things have very much changed” and he is now back in work as a groundworker.

“Things look promising for him,” the solicitor concluded.

The 33-year-old pleaded guilty to one count of possession with the intent to supply a Class B drug.

Sentencing, chairman of the bench, Dr David Whetham, said: “We’ve taken into account your very good level of co-operation, your early guilty plea, and the historical nature of the offence and how life has changed since then.

“The scale of drugs that you were apprehended with, that is on the threshold of a custodial sentence.”

Miller was given a one-year community order, with 200 hours of unpaid work.

He must also pay costs of £85 and a £95 victim surcharge.