A schoolboy was conditionally discharged for six months by a court after cannabis was found in his coat by a police sniffer dog during a drugs awareness visit at his school.

The 15-year-old, who pleaded guilty to possessing 1.5 grammes of cannabis resin when he appeared before a youth court in Barnstaple, north Devon, was also ordered to pay �20 costs.

The cannabis was sniffed out by Devon and Cornwall police dog Bonnie, who was at the school with her handler during a talk warning pupils of the dangers of drugs.

The spot check by the dog was arranged by police as part of a special assembly on substance abuse.

Police interview

Prosecutor David Burgess said the cannabis, together with a pipe, was found by the dog in the pocket of the boy's coat, which was hanging up.

The court was told that the boy admitted the cannabis and pipe were his, which he later confirmed during police interview.

A Devon County Council spokesman said today that the boy had been temporarily excluded from the school, after the incident last Friday.

Two other 15-year-old boys and one 16-year-old boy were also temporarily excluded, after receiving police reprimands.

The school's head teacher said in a statement released by the education authority they had an excellent track record of working with the police on a range of issues.

The school did not have a major drugs problem, but they were not so naive as to think the school was immune from the drugs culture, he said.