A TEENAGE beautician who claimed she received drugs as payment for beauty treatments, appeared before Island magistrates on Tuesday.

Georgia Minette Cooper, 18, of Salisbury Road, Ryde, admitted possessing 117.64g of cannabis on November 27 last year.

While police were carrying out a drugs warrant to search an address in St John's Road, they noticed suspicious activity at a neighbouring address.

They arrested a man on suspicion of drug offences and, while officers remained there to conduct a search for drugs, Cooper turned up, said Rhys Evans, prosecuting by video link, at the Isle of Wight Magistrates' Court.

Officers searched her, suspecting she may have been involved, and found her in possession of a pot of cannabis, drugs paraphernalia and £165 cash.

Her property was subsequently searched and cannabis was found in her bedroom, the bench was told.

The total street value of the drugs seized was £1,180 — a figure disputed by Cooper's solicitor, Henry Farley.

Cooper, a self-employed beautician, was 17 at the time of the offence.

To the police, Cooper denied drug dealing — claiming the cannabis had been given to her by a friend and she was taking the drug as payment in kind for beauty treatments, said Mr Evans.

Cooper also claimed she turned up at the arrested man's home to go shopping with him and that the cash she had was for buying Christmas gifts.

"She said the cannabis was for her own use and had a somewhat unusual arrangement, whereby she was giving out beauty treatments and receiving cannabis as payment," said Mr Evans.

Mr Farley said Cooper hung around with the wrong people at the time, but not any more. She had another conviction of possession, from April.

"One of the saddest things when you see someone in her position, with convictions for drugs, is you wonder what the United States or Australia are going to think about their visa application," said Mr Farley.

Cooper was fined £80, with £85 costs and a £34 victim surcharge.