AN Alva man who was caught carrying £1120 worth of cannabis claimed he used it to ease the pain of a back injury, Alloa Sheriff Court heard.

Paul McParland (35) was found with a stash of the class B drug, scales and a wad of cash when he was pulled over by the police during a routine vehicle safety check.

Officers noticed a “strong smell of cannabis” from his car after they stopped him at around 8.40pm on Stirling Road, Alloa, near the Arns Brae roundabout.

On searching the vehicle they found a large bag containing several small bags of a herbal substance, a set of scales, a piece of paper that looked like a ‘tick list’ and £1030.61 of cash in his wallet.

On Thursday, McParland, of St Serfs Walk, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cannabis on 10 January this year.

Virgil Crawford, defending, said his client, a first offender, had been “communal buying” for himself and a small group of friends.

He said by bulk-buying it reduced the cost of McParland’s own supply which he used to “alleviate pain”.

Sheriff Kenneth McGowan sentenced McParland to a community payback order with 160 hours of unpaid work to be completed within six months.