A BANNED driver with recent convictions for drug driving and possessing cannabis with intent to supply risked a jail sentence by continuing to use the class B drug.

Carlisle man Kyle Glendinning, 26, found himself back before a court after police caught him in a car with cannabis worth £120 when he was still under a suspended 14-month jail sentence for his earlier more serious offending.

He blamed his latest offending on being 'bored'.

The cannabis possession offence came to light on October 21 when police noticed a Mercedes car which was being driven too quickly and erratically as it travelled along the A595 near Bothel.

The car was “tailgating” other cars and at times had to suddenly brake to avoid running to the car in front, the court heard.

Glendinning was sitting in the front passenger seat.

When police stopped and approached the car, the officers immediately noticed a strong smell of cannabis and so they conducted a search. The defendant immediately admitted that the cannabis found beneath his seat was his.

The prosecution accepted that the amount of cannabis involved was consistent with the defendant’s claim that it was for personal use.

There was more cannabis in the car’s centre console, which the driver said was his. The court heard that Glendinning’s earlier suspended sentence was imposed for two years, and he was also nearing the end of his drug driving ban.

Richard Flook, defending, said Glendinning had told him he was caught with around 7g of cannabis, worth £120. He had admitted it at the scene when police stopped the car.

Referring to the defendant’s recent engagement with his suspended sentence, the barrister said: “He has engaged well with the Probation Service. He seems to take drugs when he is bored.

“When he had unpaid work and something to do, he wasn’t taking drugs.”

The personal background included a dementia diagnosis for the defendant’s father, for whom Glendinning had caring responsibilities The defendant now had a possible job lined up as a driver for when his three-year ban expires.

Mr Flook added: “He's told me that he really does want to kick this habit; and probation have indicated that there is a prospect of rehabilitation.”

Judge Michael Fanning told the defendant: “You’re crazy, aren’t you? With a suspended sentence for two years of 14 months prison for drug offences – supplying cannabis - and here you are in a car with three other people and a sizeable chunk of cannabis.”

The possession offence on its own merited a fine.

But, said Judge Fanning, the defendant could have been jailed for breaching his suspended sentence. Yet prison should be reserved for the most serious offenders and this possession offence did not deserve jail, he said.

“Drug dealers spread harm and they spread misery because people get addicted and nobody knows that better than you,” said the judge.

“It seems you can’t put drug abuse behind you.”

Judge Fanning highlighted the defendant’s previous convictions for drug driving and possessing cannabis with intent to supply and his ambition to take up a driving job. Yet he was in that car with cannabis.

The judge said: “You’ve got to get a grip of this. You don’t need a drug treatment requirement; you just need to get a grip.”

The defendant, of Rashdall Road, Morton, was given a new one-year community order which will include 80 hours of unpaid work.

The judge told Glendinning: “Take this opportunity; you can’t afford to get into this situation. Breach [the order] again and you are going to run out of road.”