Man arrested after filling hotel bathtub with potatoes while wearing bra and high on MDMA
Life & Style

Man arrested after filling hotel bathtub with potatoes while wearing bra and high on MDMA

When Judge Peter Henry asked James Johnson why he was found filling up a hotel bath with potatoes whilst wearing a bra, his response was simple: "It felt like the right thing to do at the time."

Caught by police officers outside a Travelodge in Eastleigh, with the aforementioned woman's undergarment on over his shirt and a bag of spuds under his arm, it's fair to say the authorities soon realised something was up.

It was only after the officers searched Mr Johnson's room at the hotel, however, that the reality of the situation became clear.

Inside, they found an "Aladdin's cave" of drugs including Ecstacy, the psychedelic drug 2CB and something called 5-MAPB - a designer drug boasting similarities to MDMA, or as it is more appropriately nicknamed, 'Mandy'.

Johnson, Southampton Crown Court was told, had been planning a one-night drug binge with two friends at the time.

Only, things had escalated; at this point, the gang was five days into their narcotics-led odyssey.

Even so, the group came close to getting away with their antics.

According to prosecutor James Kellam, the staff at the Travelodge only got wind of their antics after a strong smell of cannabis began emanating from Johnson's room.

As the Southampton Daily Echo reports, Mr Kellam told the court police "saw Johnson with the bag of potatoes and in women's clothing.

"It may be this that led officers to believe that he was intoxicated."

Johnson, 30, was found to have purchased drugs on the dark web for a whopping £750.

Despite that fact, an expert later found the drugs purchased had a street value of just £300.

He was subsequently charged with intent to supply drugs, pleading guilty, with his lawyer insisting the defendant was 'remorseful' and an 'intelligent man who made a mistake'.

Johnson has now been handed an 18-month community order, which includes a commitment to a nine-month drug rehabilitation program.

Still, it felt like the right thing to do at the time.