A DRUG dealer wept and begged for one more chance as he was jailed for having nearly £1,500 of cannabis in his car boot.

Russell Watkins sobbed as he was taken down to the cells at Worcester Crown Court after police found the drugs in the boot of a car in the middle of Malvern.

The 37-year-old, who had a string of previous convictions for drugs offences, shouted 'please give me a chance!' to the judge as he was jailed for 18 for months.

Watkins, of Cowley Road, Malvern, had previously admitted possession of cannabis (a class B drugs) with intent to supply following the discovery of the drugs in a car in the town’s Grange Road at around 3am on March 26 last year.

David Bright, prosecuting, said a strong smell of cannabis was coming from a Honda and police were alerted.

Another man was arrested with Watkins but proceedings against him were dropped.

Mr Bright said: “Both were arrested after two police officers found a large amount of cannabis leaf and bud in the boot of the vehicle.”

The boot contained 143.43g of cannabis which an expert witness valued at £1,430.

A search of Watkins’s home resulted in more cannabis being found and scales, scissors and a sieve with traces of cannabis on them.

He added: “A mobile phone was seized from Mr Watkins’s property, examination of which revealed messages consistent with dealing in drugs.

“In interview Mr Watkins admitted possession but denied the offence to which he was later to plead guilty, namely supply.

"This is a man with a history of cannabis use and, it would seem, some element of supply and production."

Watkins has previous convictions or cautions for 11 drugs offences.

Nicholas Berry, defending, said Watkins had played a 'significant role' in the drug dealing enterprise.

He said: "He must have had some awareness of what he was doing to say the least. I anticipate, applying common sense, that custody will be at the forefront of your honour's mind."

Mr Berry said his client had engaged well with the probation service in the past and the community order had had a positive effect.

"There's a background of mental health issues here and a long entrenched history of drug use."

Mr Berry said Watkins suffered from severe depression and anxiety and had indicated remorse.

He had self-referred to Swanswell, a national alcohol and drug recovery charity.

Judge Robert Juckes said Watkins had been given chance after chance to change his ways but accepted that was difficult for him because of his entrenched cannabis habit.

He added: "The reason you were stopped was because of the strong smell of cannabis, so strong that the doorstaff at the club thought they had better report you.

"The time has come when the court has simply got to make it clear to you that continuing to use and supply cannabis has an inevitable consequence."

Watkins was jailed for 18 months which included a reduction of 25 per cent to reflect his early guilty plea. He will serve half that sentence in custody, the other half on remand.

The drugs will be forfeited and destroyed. No order was made for costs.