An army corporal, who was caught with almost €10,000 worth of cannabis, will be allowed stay in the Defence Forces after being spared a prison sentence.

Corporal Damian Flood (39) was caught with €9,814 worth of cannabis herb near Nutgrove in Dublin on March 15 2013. He initially told gardaí he was moving the drugs to pay off a debt of €40,000.

However, the widowed father-of-two later said he brought the the drugs after online research showed him juiced cannabis added to food could act as a pain reliever.

Flood told Dublin Circuit Criminal Court that he wanted to ease the suffering of his wife, who was terminally ill with breast cancer.

She died some five months later.

Flood of Scribblestown Avenue, Finglas, Dublin pleaded guilty to possessing the drug for sale or supply.

He apologised to the court, saying he was “embarrassed” to be there. “It was a moment of madness,” he said.

The court heard Flood has served over 18 years with the Defence Forces, including several overseas postings, and is three years from retirement.

Judge Mary Ellen Ring said that Flood's explanation that he wanted to use the drugs for pain relief was not unreasonable and that it was used lawfully for this in other countries.

She said that testimonials handed into court showed Flood to be a man of good character with an exemplary record from the army. She said she could treat this offence as an aberration and noted that Flood was under considerable financial pressure at the time.

A prison sentence would have brought an end to his career in the army, but in light of what she described as the “unusual circumstances and the service he’s already done for the country”, the judge decided to make a probation order instead. This means no conviction was recorded against him.