Blackburn offender smoked cannabis at work
11:00pm Friday 19th October 2012 in News
A 20-YEAR-OLD man ordered to do unpaid work for possessing cannabis was caught smoking the drug while carrying out his sentence.
Blackburn magistrates heard Saddiq Khan had nine previous conviction for possessing cannabis and had served a prison sentence for supplying drugs.
And he was warned he would go straight back to prison if he breached the latest order.
Khan, of Shaw Close, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to possessing cannabis and MDMA and breaching community orders. He was sentenced to 12 weeks in custody suspended for 12 months and made subject to community supervision for 12 months.
The court heard Khan had received two sentences of unpaid work, one for 50 hours and the other for 100 hours, both for possessing cannabis.
Helen Madden, of the probation service, said the breach proceedings were instigated after Khan was caught smoking cannabis while on a work placement.
“He has a very bad attitude towards probation and orders of the court,” said Mrs Madden. “When he was asked to explain absences from work placement he said it was nothing to do with probation.”
Jonathan Taylor, defending, accepted he was not doing himself any favours by continuing to smoke cannabis.
“It is a drug not considered to be addictive but he clearly has a problem with it,” said Mr Taylor. “He says alcohol makes him behave aggressively and when he smokes cannabis it calms him down.”
