POLICE found a Malvern man growing cannabis plants at his home just 24 days after he had been given a suspended jail sentence for drug offences.

Gerald Clark had two mother plants and 48 cuttings in pots, said Peter Grice, prosecuting at Worcester Crown Court. Their potential yield could have been more than £7,000. Clark, aged 56, of Moat Crescent, was given a fourmonth jail sentence suspended for two years in September this year for possession and production of cannabis. He was ordered to do 150 hours unpaid work.

But on September 28, his home was searched and he was found with bags of amphetamine and cannabis worth about £200. He said he was a long-term user and wanted help. Clark pleaded guilty to possession of the drugs and breach of the suspended sentence. Mark Lister, defending, said Clark had sought help.

Judge Robert Juckes added 100 hours to the unpaid work requirement of the initial community order and imposed £320 costs.

The initial suspended sentence order will continue.