THE head porter at Queen's Park Hospital in Blackburn was running a contraband cigarettes and tobacco business from his locker, a court heard.

Blackburn magistrates were told that Brian Robert Duguid sold 3,000 cigarettes and 15 kilograms of hand rolling tobacco over a 12-month period.

But Daniel King, defending, said his client had only made about £200 from the enterprise which was simply a case of Duguid doing a favour for friends.

Duguid, 30, of Primrose Terrace, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of the tobacco products between 1 November 2000 and 6 November 2001 with intent to defraud Her Majesty's Government of duty payable and keeping 100 cigarettes and 75 gms of tobacco on which duty had not been paid.

He was ordered to complete an 80-hour community punishment order and pay £500 compensation.

The court heard that it was known within the hospital that Duguid was able to supply cheap tobacco.

One witness told Customs and Excise investigators that he had been buying a packet of tobacco a week over a 12-month period. Duguid accepted that he had purchased tobacco from another man, who he declined to name, and then sold it at work.

He said he was paying £3.50 a packet for the hand rolling tobacco and selling it for £4.

The total duty evaded was £1,844. Mr King said Duguid is a non-smoker but had met a man in a pub and bought some tobacco off him to give to his girlfriend.

This happened on a number of occasions and when he told someone at work they said they would like some.

"Someone else asked and then someone else and it went on from there," said Mr King.

"Some of these people were his supervisors.

"It has been referred to as a business but it certainly was not seen as such by my client. He says he probably made about £200 and it was clearly not a big, commercial, profit making exercise.

"It was simply him doing favours for friends."

Mr King said Duguid suffered considerable stress and had been suspended from work since the offences came to light and the day before he appeared in court he had appeared at a disciplinary hearing.

He said: "He has been sacked without notice on the grounds of gross misconduct and that is another penalty he has already suffered," said Mr King.

"He had no idea what he was doing was as serious as it has turned out to be. It has cost him his job, it has cost him health and it has cost him his good name."