After being caught with cannabis twice in the space of four days while on a suspended sentence, a St Albans man has spent four days behind bars.

Michael Underwood, 22, of Burnside, was coming to the end of a seven month suspended sentence for dangerous driving and criminal damage when he was caught by police with three wraps of cannabis on October 24 last year.

Three days later Underwood was found with 20 grams of the drug - for which he had paid £140 - and defended himself claiming it was cheaper to buy in bulk.

He pleaded guilty to two counts of cannabis possession last Friday, January 15, and also admitted being in breach of his suspended sentence.

In addition to the jail term, Judge Marie Catterson also handed down a six month Community Order, a curfew between 8pm and 6am on Fridays and Saturdays and a £100 fine.

Since the age of 12 Underwood has had 15 convictions to his name for 23 offences and recently completed 150 hours of unpaid work as part of his suspended sentence.

In mitigation, Bill Maley asked for credit for Underwood’s guilty plea and asked the judge to consider the fact that he had been attempting to get a job with Network Rail.

But the judge told him: “Cannabis isn’t good for you.

“You need to understand that when a court passes a suspended sentence, you don’t get repeat chances.

“This sentence might teach you that prison is not a pleasant place.”