offender received after he slipped out of a Magistrate's courtroom and disappeared for two weeks.

Sidney Carl Pitt, 48, of Frolic Lane, Southampton, pleaded guilty in Magistrates' Court on Wednesday to escaping from lawful custody on May 6 and receiving stolen jewellery.

Mr. Francis ordered Pitt to spend four months in prison for escaping from custody and 12 months for receiving the jewellery. Both sentences were set to run concurrently.

Pitt also pleaded guilty to possessing 0.139 grams of heroin and 0.112 grams of cocaine on October 14, 1995 in Pembroke.

He was ordered to spend six months in prison for possessing the heroin and three months in prison for possessing the cocaine.

Both prison sentences were due to run concurrently but not be activated until Pitt served his 12 month sentence for escaping custody and receiving the jewellery.

Pitt also admitted possessing housebreaking instruments on September 17, 1995 and was sentenced to nine months in prison -- a term which was to run consecutively to the other two prison terms.

Lawyer Richard Horseman said he was appealing the sentence on a point of law which stated that when consecutive sentences were given for summary offences they could not total more than 12 months.