A one-legged man who tried to smuggle cannabis and a mobile phone into a prison has found himself behind bars.

Peter Broster, 55, whose left leg has been amputated below the knee, arrived at the Mount Prison in Bovingdon in his wheelchair at 3.15pm on July 23, 2017 to visit an inmate.

But he was spotted handing a package over and was sentenced on Wednesday to 15 months imprisonment.

Prosecutor Sarah Porter told Luton Crown Court that during the visit he was seen handing over a package to prisoner Samuel Chesterton.

She said: "They were in the visiting hall sitting opposite each other at a table when officers watching CCTV saw him pass the package. Chesterton tried to hide it between his legs, but the package was seized."

The package was found to contain 41.7g of cannabis and 56.1g of spice, the synthetic form of the drug. Ms Porter said the drugs had a prison value of £9,000. There were also six mobile phones and accessories in the package.

Broster of London Road, Newbury, admitted 12 charges of conveying a prohibited article into prison. He appeared for sentence in his wheelchair via a video link from Cambridge Crown Court because he could not access the court at Luton.

In a basis of plea, which was rejected by the judge, Broster said he had been forced into delivering the package as he was being threatened. He had 12 previous convictions for 34 offences. He was jailed in 1994 and 2015 for drug supply.

Defending, Caroline Stewart said he had suffered infections in the stump of his leg and at the end of last year was treated in hospital for pneumonia. She said that he had been "caught red handed", but it had taken a long time for him to get to court.

Jailing him, Judge Andrew Bright QC said: "The message needs to go out loud and clear to those tempted to smuggle drugs into prison they will go immediately to prison themselves."