A HARD-up father of two who allowed a man to deposit drugs and cash in his home in return for a loan has walked free from court.

Michael Davies, 41, had been in £14,000 worth of debt, his wife had left him and he had lost his job. He was too proud to claim hand-outs and found himself sucked into someone else's trade of hard drugs, Burnley Crown Court heard.

Davies, of Coal Clough Lane, Burnley, admitted allowing his premises to be used for the supply of ecstasy, cannabis resin and cannabis bush. He was given 240 hours unpaid work and a four-month curfew between 10pm and 8am.

Sentencing, Judge Jonathan Woolman told the court it was said once the defendant had borrowed £1,600 from the man he could not refuse requests to allow him to leave drugs and money at his home.

The judge, who said Davies had been having a "dreadful time" when he committed the offences, added that normally anyone who allowed themselves to be sucked into the drugs trade could expect immediate jail.

He told the defendant: "It might be cruel for me to do that. I am prepared to proceed on the basis this was a one off."

The court was told police raided the defendant's property in November 2005 and found drugs and £3,400 in cash. The money was stashed in a laptop case and some was found on jars.

Richard Bennett, defending, said Davies had a job waiting. He had sold his house on Coal Clough Lane, leaving him with a balance of about £14,000 which he used to pay off debts. He sold the property to a man who then became his landlord.

The defendant had no previous convictions for any form of drugs offences and was not a man who had been involved in any form of drugs subculture.

Mr Bennett went on: "He was a victim of significant circumstances which affected his life to a very great degree."