A world-weary offender caught entering prison with a phone and cannabis stashed ‘on his person’ hopes an honest life begins at 40.

Simon Maclellan, 40, told Judge Nigel Daly that he’d had enough of going in-and-out of jail.

The candid crook, who has 74 offences to his name, said via the video link from HMP Bullingdon: “I’ve done a lot of silly things in my past. Some of which [were] pure stupidity.

“There is no real reason why most of the time I’ve done it, but I will say this; since getting older – being 40 – you realise the older you get the shorter your life is and the wiser you get.

“I’ve made some silly mistakes in my life. I will not be coming back to prison and I will not be getting arrested again. I’ve had enough.”

READ MORE: Alleged prison smuggler failed to attend court 'as he was in eye op'

Maclellan said that during his most recent stint at the Oxfordshire prison he had been asking for help and rehabilitative programmes. But he added: “They can’t help me. There is no rehabilitation.”

Judge Daly was told by Maclellan that he did not make promises lightly. “But I will promise you this: you won’t see my face again.”

Earlier, prosecutor Christopher Pembridge told the court that Maclellan was searched as he entered HMP Bullingdon as an inmate on November 16, 2020.

A small Nokia mobile phone and 11.2g of cannabis was found inside an orifice, euphemistically described by Mr Pembridge as ‘on his person’.

READ MORE: 'Keys to the prison door are in your hand'

Maclellan had previously denied the offences and the case set down for trial. A jury was sworn in during an abortive trial in March but the case was derailed by coronavirus.

Appearing via video link on Monday, Maclellan, of Redlands Lane, Fareham, changed his pleas to the two charges of bringing prohibited items into prison from not guilty to guilty.

Despite appearing to pour doubt on whether or not the items were, in fact, found on him, he told the judge: “I just want to go guilty. I am going guilty, I am guilty.” The judge warned him he should only plead guilty if he accepted he was guilty.

Sentencing him to eight months imprisonment, Judge Daly said: “Cannabis in prison can cause a lot of problems for the prison staff with discipline and such like.

“Equally, mobile telephones can cause problems as well because they also can be used as currency in the prison and they cause difficulties with prison discipline.

"You are clearly not going through a very easy period in your life.”

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