Axminster man in court on drug charges

AN AXMINSTER man was found with heroin valued at hundreds of pounds after police executed a search warrant at his home.

AN AXMINSTER man was found with heroin valued at hundreds of pounds after police executed a search warrant at his home.

Stephen Anthony Taylor, 21, admitted possessing nearly six grams of diamorphine, on May 14.

Central Devon Magistrates' Court heard Taylor, from Cherry Tree Road, had two wraps of the Class A drug hidden in a Kinder egg.

Prosecuting, Chris Bittlestone said the drugs had a street value of �300, but police had treated it as personal possession.

He said Taylor had indicated to police where the drugs were, and said: "Yes, those are my drugs, and yes, they're for my use."

In mitigation, James Rickard said: "The amount of money he [Taylor] paid for the drugs certainly was not �300. If you buy large quantities, it's cheaper."

He said the police had calculated the value based on a bag of heroin costing �10.

He said Taylor had been a heroin addict for the past 18 months, and had difficulty accessing help from drug support agencies because he lived in a rural area.

He said the drug problem needed to be addressed, but said resources, such as those offered by the Exeter Drug Project or ENDAS, were limited in Axminster.

He added: "The trouble is there is often a waiting list and he's simply going to have to be patient."

The court was told Taylor, who had previous convictions and had served a custodial sentence, had previously been in breach of a conditional discharge.

Chairman of the bench, Hilary Drew, said: "I don't want you to be going down a slippery slope, Mr Taylor, which I think can happen."

She advised he liaise with the probation service, and that they provided a report.

The case has been adjourned until June 24. Taylor was released on unconditional bail.