Drug dealer fractured back fleeing police though window

A CANNABIS dealer built up a drug debt after he struggled to cope with the death of his girlfriend who was killed in a car crash.

When he attempted to escape from police he jumped from an upstairs window and fractured his back.

Tommy Stanton, 22, was raided by officers at his address in Newport on November 14 last year they and briefly saw him peering from a window.

A woman answered the door and claimed the defendant had fled but officers forced entry to a backyard and located Stanton hiding in a doorway.

A sentencing hearing at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court heard the defendant had seriously injured his back by jumping from an upstairs window.

He was later taken to the Grange University Hospital in Cwmbran and was found to have suffered a compound fracture.

Prosecutor David Pinnell said a search of the address in Chepstow Road was made while Stanton was in hospital and police discovered three small bags of cocaine weighing 1.26g, seven litres of diazepam, and 437g of cannabis with a value of just over £4,000.

A total of £495 in cash was also discovered.

Stanton, now of Tennyson Road, later pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply a Class B drug, and possession of Class A and C drugs.

The court heard the defendant had five previous convictions including possession with intent to supply Class A drugs and possession of Class B drugs.

Judge Richard Kember sentenced Stanton to a total of 12 months imprisonment.

He will serve half the sentence in custody before he is released to serve the remainder on licence.