A NIGHTCLUBBER who found a bag full of Ecstacy tablets and gave one to a friend while clubbing has been sentenced to 100 hours community service.

Markus Edwards admitted to Swindon Crown Court he acquired the pills as he spent a night at the town's popular Brunel Rooms.

But, thanks to good stewarding at the club, when he sold a tablet on he was spotted and the police were called.

Sentencing him, Judge John McNaught told Edwards: "We get quite a lot of cases in Swin-don where people sell Ecstacy tablets in the Brunel Rooms.

"Those who take drugs into the club and sell invariably go to prison indeed the maximum penalty is life."

The judge added though, that the prosecution accepted Edwards' account that he had found the tablets.

Prosecuting, Roger Jones said: "The defendant said he acquired the bag in the Brunel Rooms on June 3, in the early hours. It contained 45 Ecstacy tablets."

Mr Jones said when Ed-wards came to a steward's attention he was with a friend and proceeded to take a tablet from the bag and sell it.

"The bag of tablets was pushed down behind a cushion of a seat, before being recovered by a steward and passed to police," he added.

Defending, Marcus Davey told the judge: "When Mr Edwards went into the club he was searched and there were no drugs.

"When Mr Edwards' house was searched there were no drugs."

Mr Davey said his client had no history either of drug abuse or Class A drugs.

He added: "It has been a salutary lesson for him. Per-haps the best thing to do would be to make him do some work for the community."

Releasing Edwards, the judge ordered him to pay £118 prosecution costs within two months and ordered the drugs to be forfeited and destroyed.

The judge added: "If you find drugs you must take them to people who run the Brunel.

"This is a serious offence, it makes you a drug offender and a marked man in future.