When Lee Alexander Doyle​ was betrayed by his platoon leader, his request for help was given a quick reply: suck it up.

Heartbroken after his partner had an affair with the leader, he turned to taking, then dealing, drugs to cope.

The story of the 25-year-old’s descent into drug dealing, then work to clean himself up, was recounted in the Palmerston North District Court on Wednesday.

He was there to be sentenced for possessing MDMA for supply, having been arrested in June 2020.

Police found $2000 cash, electronic scales, lists similar to those used by drug dealers to keep track of sales, and almost 20 grams of MDMA.

An attempt before Wednesday’s hearing to be discharged without conviction was declined.

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Defence lawyer Michael Bott​ said Doyle started using drugs after his platoon leader had an affair with his partner.

His request to move platoon was denied and he was told to get over it, leaving him in an extremely difficult position.

“Having to call the man who took the love of his life ‘sir’ was very hard,” Bott said.

Attempts to get help did not go well, so he started using drugs, then selling to fund his habit.

He spent some time with the prospect of proceedings taking place in the military and standard justice systems, which meant his movements were severely restricted.

The military had also not been clear on what would happen once the criminal proceedings were over, only going as far as saying Doyle would go through a “retention review”, Bott said.

“It’s significant and stressful.”

Judge Bruce Northwood​ said drug use in the military was an issue – multiple soldiers have gone through court martials in recent years for using, procuring and supplying drugs – and a message needed to be sent.

Having MDMA for supply came with a maximum sentence of 14 years’ prison, showing how serious it was, the judge said.

“MDMA is not a trifling controlled drug.”

But he also took into account the fact Doyle, who has no previous convictions, had since got clean and moved on with life positively.

“You present as a responsible individual, building a good life for yourself,” the judge said.

“The last thing we want is for you to come back here.”

Doyle was sentenced to five months' community detention and nine months' supervision.

The cash found in Doyle’s house was forfeit to police, while the drugs would be destroyed.