A MAN sobbed as a court heard how he had been caught growing cannabis having just spent 15 months in jail for drugs offences.

Glasgow Sheriff Court was told how cops were called out to Andrew Johnson's family home on another matter but discovered the plants and drug paraphernalia.

He was arrested on October 27 last year and this is his fourth conviction of this type.

Cops who arrived at the property early in the morning found a cannabis cultivation in the living room.

Johnson was in the property with his partner and two young children aged two years 11 months and 17 months.

There were also plants in a bedroom and a hydroponic tent set up and they found further equipment in the kitchen.

Cannabis with a street value of between £2200 and £5000 was found throughout the property.

Johnson was taken to Cathcart police station where he was cautioned and charged and made no reply.

The 39-year-old's defence brief said it was "a very sorry state of affairs".

She added: [His partner] is extremely understandably distressed as a result of this.

"He has just done 15 months in prison."

The lawyer said Johnson's doctors were investigating whether he needed to use cannabis on medical grounds to deal with chronic pain.

She said her client was an "extremely remorseful and anxious man".

She added: "He has not had his struggles to seek on a personal level and there's a suggestion of escapism and immaturity here.

"The family need him to be an adult and behave in a more appropriate way but he is the author of his own destiny.

"His partner will give him all the support she can but he needs to stand on his own two feet."

Johnson, from Priesthill, cried in the dock throughout the hearing.

Sheriff Patricia Pryce said: "You know as well as anybody I would be well within my right to send you to prison.

"She is the mother of your two youngest children and that is how you treat her?

"I will very narrowly deal with this without custody but if you can't do the time, don't do the crime.

"Do not stand there crying in court.

"You put your own wishes and desires and addiction in front of everybody in your life so don't stand there and cry."

Sheriff Pryce sentenced Johnson to a community payback order with two years supervision.

He was tagged for 36 weeks, keeping him at home between 8pm and 7am.

And he will have to appear before the court again in three months for a review hearing.

The sheriff added: "I expect you to address your use of cannabis.

"You are spending £30 a day on your cannabis use: is that not money better spent on your family? On your children?

"Do you not think that extremely selfish to be spending that on your own indulgence?

"If you come back before me and it's not a positive report you are going to jail.

"This is your only chance."