A SPURNED husband supplied his cousin with some of his anti-depressants to get him off drugs, a court heard.

Burnley Magistrates were told how depressed Parvez Akhtar Ali, 29, was ignorant about the seriousness of what he had done.

Ali, whose wife left him after suffering three miscarriages, was given a 12 months conditional discharge, fined £40 and must pay £75 costs.

The defendant, of Chapelhouse Road, Nelson, had admitted supplying eight tablets of tomazepan, theft and failing to surrender.

Elizabeth Reed, prosecuting, said police went into a pub in Nelson and searched the defendant and another man. Eight tablets were found in the other man's pocket.

Ali immediately said the tablets were his and he had given them to the other man to "get him off the gear."

The court was told the defendant's wife had left him after suffering three miscarriages. That caused him to go deeper into depression.

Ali had been in a serious road accident in 1994 and that had left him suffering from quite severe epilepsy. He had been prescribed the anti-depressants for the last seven years and he had been and got his medication.

The defendant's cousin, who had had an addiction, had been to the chemist with him to get his medication and asked Ali if he could have some tablets. Ali was in ignorance about what he had done and thought it was not a problem.