A “promising” apprentice dockworker was told that he was fortunate to avoid a drug conviction in Magistrates’ Court after being caught with cannabis and a scale.

“You were celebrating the securing of your job at Stevedoring Services,” magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo told Kyle Tucker, 19, of Warwick. “You decided to have one last blow — and it backfired.”

Tucker, who was recently featured in this newspaper, apologised to the court, saying that he had been stupid and had not considered the consequences.

“I didn’t think of my future career,” he added.

Stevedoring Services chief executive Warren Jones attended court as a character witness.

The company hired Tucker straight out of high school and wished to invest in him as a long-term employee, the court heard. He had been about to be sent overseas for training.

Tucker was stopped by Police on November 15 last year as he left a bonfire party in Paget. He consented to a search and told officers on the scene that he was carrying the drug.

He was found to have a little more than 15 grams of cannabis, as well as a scale. Mr Tokunbo warned him that at that amount, Tucker was courting a potential conviction for possession with intent to supply.

“The report about you is impressive — you show a lot of promise, and we are not here to disrupt your career prospects,” said Mr Tokunbo, before opting for a conditional discharge effective for one year.

• It is The Royal Gazette’s policy not to allow comments on stories regarding court cases. This is to prevent any statements being published that may jeopardise the outcome of that case.