A FORMER soldier caught with thousands of pounds worth of drugs walked free from court after a judge heard how his service had impacted on his health.

Police found a substantial stash of illegal M-Cat in a safe in Mark Bugg's home in Eston, near Middlesbrough, during a raid last June.

Officers had to smash it open when 25-year-old Bugg refused to give them the code, prosecutor David Comb told Teesside Crown Court.

The drugs - worth between £3,000 and £6,000 on the streets - were found alongside electronic scales, a cutting agent and spoons, Mr Comb said.

A photograph on the ex-squaddie's mobile phone showed a bag of white powder on a kitchen worktop next to a bundle of cash and a gun, the court heard.

Bugg was found guilty of possessing a Class B drug with intent to supply after a trial last month, and returned to be sentenced yesterday (WED).

He was given a one-year prison term, suspended for a year, and ordered to do a 60-day rehabilitation requirement by Judge Howard Crowson.

The judge told married father Bugg that his armed duty had "exposed him to circumstances which had affected his ability to act in social settings".

John Nixon, mitigating, said Bugg had been storing the drugs for another person and was living frugally.

Mr Nixon said his client still denies he was a dealer.

He added: "His service to this country has had an impact upon him and has shaped the way he is. He is not a well man and prison would have an adverse effect."

Judge Crowson said it was sometimes difficult for ex-servicemen to admit to their mental health problems and seek help, and praised for doing so.