A STOURBRIDGE man caught with a jar of cannabis hours after he had been given a community order for possessing a "significant" quantity of the controlled drug has been allowed to keep his freedom.

Judge Nicholas Webb told 24-year-old Aaron Collins at Wolverhampton Crown Court: "You may regard smoking cannabis as something that should be legal but it isn't.

"This was a flagrant breach of a court order and you are very lucky not to be losing your liberty as a result."

Collins was given the community order at the crown court on February 2 after he admitted possessing cannabis with intent to supply.

Police officers had gone to his home in Harrison Court, Hawbush, armed with a warrant and they recovered £2,500 worth of the Class B drug.

But on February 3 officers went back to the flat and found Collins had a jar containing £50 worth of cannabis and once again he insisted it was for his personal use.

Collins pleaded guilty to possessing cannabis and breaching the community order and was given a six-month jail term by the judge suspended for two years.

He was further ordered to carry out 40 hours unpaid work in the community, placed on supervision for a year and told to attend the Drug Rehabilitation Programme.

Sarah Allen, defending Collins - who was also ordered to pay £340 costs told the court, said: "He has entrenched views on the smoking of cannabis."

The judge said Collins had just started up a carpet cleaning business and because finances were tight at present he ruled he could pay the costs at £10 a week.