Telford drug addict hid crack and heroin down his trousers

Kenneth Spragg, 54, who was disqualified from driving after several offences, was spotted by police in a Ford car near his home in Oakengates Road, Donnington, on October 2 last year.

His car was searched, where a tin containing crack cocaine worth £20 and heroin worth £40 was found. Spragg was also seen stuffing something in his trousers and dropping a phone on the ground.

He was arrested and taken to Malinsgate police station, where he was strip searched. A bag was found containing wraps of crack and heroin. There were 89 street deals of heroin totalling 10g and 107 bags of crack cocaine weighing in at 11.03g. The total street value of the crack cocaine was £1,190, and the heroin could have been sold in street deals for a total of £890.

A mobile phone was also seized and contained bulk messages advertising drugs for sale.

Prosecutor Jamie Scott told Shrewsbury Crown Court that one message was sent to 34 contacts and described the drugs as "best in town".

He added: "It was obvious that the phone was being used as a means to facilitate street dealing to users."

Spragg, of Oakengates Road in Donnington, Telford, pleaded guilty to two charges of possession of Class A drugs with intent to supply.

His arrest triggered the activation of a suspended sentence for previous driving offences, and he spent eight weeks in jail.

Kevin Jones, defending, said that Spragg accepted the drugs in the tin were his, but the bag containing the larger quantities of drugs and burner phone were not his, and that he was looking after them for his dealer.

He added: "A refusal to accept holding this would have resulted in difficulty in the short term and the long term. He didn't know what was in there."

Mr Jones also said Spragg has taken "every opportunity available" to rehabilitate himself on a drugs program.

Judge Anthony Lowe told Spragg: "Here you are at the age of 54, standing where you are. Although I appreciate that drug addiction has no respect of age, it is rare to see people of your age facing these sort of charges. Plainly you were very close to what was going on." He sentenced him to 15 months in prison, suspended for 18 months, as well as 25 rehabilitation activity days.