FORMER heroin addict Robin John Bibby had suffered 14 months of constant pain since undergoing an operation to remove a brain tumour.

Blackburn magistrates heard that three offences committed in a short period of time, the first since the operation, were all as a result of his desperation for respite.

Bibby, 38, who gave his mother's address in Higher Witton Road, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to attempting to obtain pain killers on a forged prescription, using threatening behaviour and being drunk and disorderly. He was given a conditional discharge for 12 months and ordered to pay £60 costs after the magistrates accepted that his constant pain would have contributed to the offences.

Emma Kehoe, prosecuting, said the threatening behaviour had been towards a security guard at Blackburn College. The drunk and disorderly behaviour had occurred when police found him collapsed on a pavement and he became abusive. The prescription offence happened on Monday, when Bibby presented a prescription at Boots for pain killers. The pharmacist could clearly see there were two sets of handwriting.

Adrian Williams, defending, said that prior to his operation in September 1999, Bibby had a horrendous record which was directly related to his heroin addiction. Since the operation he had kicked the habit.

Following the operation, Bibby had contracted an infection and had been in a coma for three weeks.

"He has been in considerable pain ever since," said Mr Williams. Bibby had worked out which painkillers helped.

He went to the A&E department at Blackburn Royal Infirmary and begged them for pain killers after his prescription ran out. The hospital would not prescribe the strong pain killers he wanted without further information and Bibby had simply added those to the prescription. "He did it simply because of the pain," said Mr Williams. "The other offences were both committed in alcohol which he was using in an attempt to numb the pain."