A 23-YEAR-OLD man was arrested on drugs charges only days after being sentenced for another crime, York Magistrates Court heard.

Lee Kenneth Mason, of East Mount Road, was sentenced to 150 hours of unpaid work, which was factored into his existing community order.

Mason, who is unemployed, pleaded guilty to possessing an ounce of the class B drug mephedrone in March this year, with intent to supply it to four friends.

Martin Butterworth, for the prosecution, said police found the drugs and other drug paraphernalia when they raided Mason’s address on March 19.

Mason told police he paid £180 for the mephedrone and that he had bought it on behalf of four friends. He said they had all put money in and he had bought the drugs.

Mr Butterworth said they accepted that Mason had not bought the drugs to supply on a commercial basis.

He told the court that Mason had been in the court on March 17, when he was sentenced to a two-and-a-half year community order for assault.

Stephen Munro, mitigating, said: “At the time of this offence he was addicted to methedrone and also has a problem with alcohol.”

He said his client’s situation had been exacerbated by a problem at home and he had taken to drinking heavily.

“His friends chipped in their share of the money. He organised the transaction and he held his hands up to that during the police interview.”

He said Mason had sought help to tackle his drug and alcohol problems.

Mason told magistrates: “I’m off the drugs now. I’m going to turn my life around now.”

He was sentenced to a 12 month community order, involving 150 hours of unpaid work.

The Press launched its Menace Of Mephedrone campaign more than a year ago, calling for the then legal drug, also known as M-Cat and meow-meow, to be outlawed.