A DURSLEY man who walked free from court after admitting two post office burglaries avoided jail again despite breaching his suspended sentence order.

Tom Wood, a 29-year-old father of four of Leaside Close, received the six months suspended sentence at Gloucester Crown Court in August.

But he was back before the court to admit breaching the terms of the court order by failing to attend 'Think First' group sessions he had been instructed to go to on November 9 and 16.

Charlotte Midgley, prosecuting, said that as well as the suspended sentence Wood had also been ordered to do 120 hours of unpaid work. He had so far completed 43.5 hours and the probation service said that generally his response to the order had been positive.

The service therefore proposed he should be punished for the breach by being made to do an extra eight hours unpaid work, she said.

Carole Knotts, for Wood, said he was feeling unwell at the time of the breaches and had telephoned to explain his absences.

"I have told him if he feels unwell again he should obtain a medical certificate in support of his claim. He has otherwise been complying with the order and making good progress."

Sentencing Wood to an extra eight hours unpaid work, Judge William Hart said: "You were rather fortunate on August 24 to receive a suspended sentence and not to receive a term of immediate imprisonment.

"This must be the last breach. Obviously if you are not well enough to attend and you do produce evidence of that from a doctor no one is going to complain.

"The breach report is reasonably optimistic about you but this must not happen again."

Wood's accomplice in the burglaries, Dean Marsden, 23, of Leaside Close, was jailed for 18 months at the August hearing.

Prosecutor Lisa Hennessy told the court that just after midnight on May 13 this year, residents of North Nibley spotted three men in and around the post office there.

The police were called and 200metres outside the village they came across a Subaru - the driver of which was Wood. Marsden was the back seat passenger.

A camouflage jacket, jeans and trainers were found in the back of the car, and Marsden also exclaimed: "That's it - we're going to be done for burglary," said Mrs Hennessy.

She said a similar burglary had taken place on May 25 this year at Stoke Gifford Post Office.