A MAN who passed some tobacco and a penknife hidden in two taped cylindrical tubes to an accused person in court was jailed for 15 months on Wednesday.

Mohamed Zani Yusoff Ali Khan, 33, pleaded guilty last Friday to intentionally aiding Mohamad Azman Abdul Wahee, 25, to be armed with the penknife at Subordinate Courts, Havelock Square, on Oct 29.

Zani had attended Azman's drug trafficking trial in a district court that day with Azman's sister and mother.

After the hearing ended, Zani waited outside the courtroom for Azman, who was to be taken to the court lock-up.

Zani then approached Azman from the back and handed him the two cylindrical tubes wrapped with black masking tapes while his hands were cuffed.

Azman immediately placed the items into his pants.

One of the two escort officers saw this and seized the tubes from Azman's pants.

Zani was arrested outside the Subordinate Courts.

The two tubes were found to contain compacted tobacco and the weapon.

Investigation showed that Azman had asked a friend to prepare the items to be given to him in court.

The friend passed them to Azman's sister and mother, who then passed them to Zani.

District Judge May Mesenas imposed a deterrent sentence, saying there was pre-meditation in this case.

Zani, who has a robbery conviction and drug-related ones, could have been jailed for up to two years for the offence.