A PRISONER caught with an unauthorised mobile phone in his pants was slapped with a 12 week jail sentence.

Glasgow Sheriff Court heard how prison officers carried out a search of the room in Barlinnie Prison acting on intelligence that Francis Connolly had a phone in his possession.

During the search, the 32-year-old was found with the device hidden in his underwear.

It was a prison issue phone but the SIM card in it was not prison issue.

On questioning, Connolly, from Royston, admitted the illicit SIM card was his.

Connolly's defence brief said the crime had been "opportunistic" and he "should have handed it in".

Sheriff Patricia Pryce said: "It is desperate, the fact you have got a prison record like this for someone your age.

"You don't have an analogous record for something like this.

"This is taken very, very seriously by the courts for very good reasons and you know better than most why it's taken so seriously."

Connolly was hit was a 12 week prison sentence reduced from 18 weeks thanks to his early plea of guilty.