A 28-year-old man from Spalding has been jailed for 22 months after failing to attend the hearing at which he was due to be sentenced for possessing cannabis.
Thomas Parr appeared before Recorder Graham Huston at Lincoln Crown Court after a warrant was issued for his arrest earlier in September. The court heard that Parr had not attended his sentencing hearing on September 4, having claimed that he was too ill to travel.
Cannabis found at The Meadows flat
The case began after police found 206g of cannabis at Parr’s flat in The Meadows, Spalding, on the afternoon of April 26. Officers attended the property and found Parr and the drugs inside.
The cannabis was not all stored in one place. Quantities were discovered in the kitchen, as well as in shoeboxes and bags at the flat.
During a police interview, Parr said the cannabis was intended for his own personal use. He admitted using the Class B drug and said he smoked it to relieve back pain and help him deal with anxiety.
Parr later pleaded guilty to possessing cannabis when he appeared before Lincoln Crown Court earlier this year.
Hearing was adjourned for reports
The guilty plea placed Parr in breach of a 20-month suspended prison sentence imposed by the same court in June 2025.
His sentence for the cannabis offence had been adjourned until September 4 to allow probation and mental-health reports to be prepared. The court heard that Parr had been told about the hearing date by both his solicitor and a mental-health liaison worker.
Despite being informed, Parr did not attend the hearing. A warrant was subsequently issued and he was arrested before being brought back before the court.
Recorder Huston sentenced Parr to 22 months in prison. Passing sentence, he said Parr had already been given a significant opportunity when he received the suspended sentence.
“He was already given the greatest benefit of the doubt when he received a suspended sentence,”
Recorder Huston explained that Parr had run out of chances.
The case was reported by The Spalding and South Holland Voice on September 14, 2026. The supplied report does not give the exact date on which the arrest warrant was issued, and no independent court record or police statement was provided with the material.