DRUG user Ross Woolcott narrowly escaped a spell behind bars after admitting he would have supplied cannabis found in his bedroom by police.

Woolcott, of Albion Crescent, Chalfont St Giles, pleaded guilty to possessing 39.43g of cannabis with intent to supply at Aylesbury Crown Court on Wednesday.

But the 23-year-old was spared a prison term because he did not have a 'significant criminal record'.

Amanda Millmore, prosecuting, said the Crown accepted that Woolcott would only have supplied the drug to friends on a social basis and was not a commercial dealer.

The court heard police found the cannabis, with a street value of £275, in Woolcott's bedroom during an early morning search in November last year.

The court was also told that Woolcott had a previous conviction and a caution for possession of cannabis.

Basil Hillman, defending, explained that in the past Woolcott had used the drug as 'a crutch'.

Judge Roger Connor, sentencing, said: "Having regard to the absence of a very significant criminal record and your guilty plea, I take the view that it is not necessary to send you to prison on this occasion."

Woolcott was sentenced to a 140-hour Community Punishment Order and ordered to pay £400 towards prosecution costs.