Martin, 33, served in Northern Ireland and the first Gulf War and what he saw during active service led him to take cannabis to help him sleep at night.

It nearly landed the Scotsman in Guernsey’s prison when he was caught importing £700-worth of the Class B drug into the island.

But testimony from a psychiatrist that he is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and depression led to the Royal Court jurats allowing him to get the treatment he needs.

Relieved at having his 18-month prison sentence suspended for two years, Martin said the last few months had been nerve-racking.

‘It’s a fantastic result,’ he said after yesterday’s decision.

Speaking in conjunction with his advocate, Sara Mallett, the former soldier hoped other people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder would get professional help.

‘It is a real problem, so if it helps someone to come forward then it is a good thing,’ he said.

Martin served in Iraq and Northern Ireland with the First Regiment of Royal Scots.

The court heard some details of his service, including how he saw friends killed in both countries and how Special Forces rescued him in the former after he got lost in the desert.

During his time on a six-month tour of duty in Northern Ireland, Martin witnessed the death of a friend who was shot, but he stayed in the regiment and served in the 1991 Gulf War.

There, he watched his best friend, who was just about to go home, die – again after being shot.

Although Martin did receive some treatment before he left the service in 1995 and has been prescribed anti-depressants from doctors here and in the UK, Castel Hospital consultant psychiatrist Helen Birchall said that he needed weekly sessions and other treatment that he would not get in prison.

Although the Ministry of Defence would not comment on individual cases involving ex-servicemen, a spokesman said yesterday that support systems were in place.

‘They are made well aware of the support out in the field and when they get home,’ he said.

‘Families are also given leaflets and we urge them to seek the appropriate help if they need it.’

Martin pleaded guilty to the importation of cannabis, which had been found in his jacket pocket on arrival at the harbour from Poole.

On his arrest, he told Customs officers that he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and Gulf War Syndrome.

Although an independent UK inquiry concluded last month that the illness did exist, it is still not recognised by the MoD