ALLOA'S resident sheriff has warned prisoners in unlawful possession of mobile phones will face "significant consequences" in court.

Sheriff Craig Harris made the comment when sentencing HMP Glenochil inmate John McMahon at the Wee County sheriff court on Thursday, October 8.

The 30-year-old inmate previously admitted being in possession of a mobile, which was discovered on September 2 last year.

Procurator Fiscal Depute Susannah Hutchison said the device was hidden inside a television within McMahon's cell.

In mitigation, his solicitor said: "He was given the phone by a fellow inmate, which he used primarily just to contact his family and check up on younger siblings.

"He received punishment at the prison: loss of recreation, loss of earnings, and he wasn't able to have any visitors for 14 days.

"He now has access to a mobile phone, and as I understand it the majority of prisoners within the Scottish prison system do because of the current situation."

The solicitor added McMahon's earliest release date was August 2021.

An unimpressed Sheriff Harris claimed punishment was necessary.

He said: "The courts have said this kind of offence needs to be punished severely.

"Unlawful possession of a mobile phone can [disrupt] lawful order in prison.

"A deterrent sentence is required by the court, with punishment, to make clear such offences carry significant consequences."

The sheriff then sentenced McMahon to six months in prison, to be served consecutively to the sentence he was already serving.