A Southampton defendant went on the run for four months after being told he was facing jail.

Benjamin Woodford, 25, “panicked and ran away”, his defence barrister Justin Hugheston-Roberts explained at Southampton Crown Court.

Woodford, who has since been detained, had originally been arrested after police executed a search warrant at premises in Millbrook and found him sat beside a coffee table with a small amount of cannabis nearby.

Woodford, 25, of Mayfield Road, Southampton, admitted possession with intent to supply and possession. He received a nine-month suspended sentence with a 50-hour community order and a nine-month drug rehabilitation requirement.