An Isle of Wight woman refused the chance to have her drug charge dropped and told magistrates, “I smoke pot, get over it!”

Anna Beardsmore, of Royal Exchange, Newport, attended the Isle of Wight Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, July 9, and pleaded guilty to possessing a controlled drug of class B, namely cannabis.

The 41-year-old was offered the chance at an adjournment for prosecutor Liz Miller to pursue Hampshire and IW Constabulary for an out-of-court disposal, saving her from a criminal conviction.

Beardsmore was asked if she would comply with the disposal but refused the offer, saying: “Get on with it, I have things to do. 

“There’s a war going on. I smoke pot, get over it! Your justice system is a joke.”

Proceeding with the conviction, Liz Miller outlined the facts of the case, telling the court that police stop and searched Beardsmore in Newport and found a very small quantity of cannabis.

Beardsmore, who was unrepresented, said: “I only smoke pot because it helps with my illnesses,” adding that she does not usually smoke it in public.

She told magistrates, “You should decriminalise it, maybe,” before asking for her cannabis pot back, as it was sentimental to her.

Magistrates refused, telling her it would be destroyed, instead handing her an £80 fine.

Beardsmore must also pay £85 in costs and a £32 surcharge, fees that would have been avoided if she had accepted an out-of-court disposal.