A DRUG addict got involved in dealing Class A drugs to fund his own habit, a court has heard.

Thomas Glass supplied crack cocaine and heroin to “acquaintances” so he could pay for illicit substances to appease his addiction, Swindon Crown Court heard on Friday.

The 25-year-old pleaded guilty to two counts of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs.

The offences took place across Chippenham between February and April 2020.

His advocate, Matthew Scott, told the court that his dealing was “not for financial gain, but to fund his own habit”.

He requested the probation service complete a pre-sentence report so that the court has more information on the defendant before going ahead to sentence.

“This is a young man with a long history of illness and the court will need to know more before sentencing,” he added. Meanwhile, an appointment with a forensic psychiatrist booked in earlier in February was postponed because “of the hurricane”, Mr Scott said.

Meanwhile, prosecutor Martyn Booth said that the basis of plea had not been seen by the reviewing lawyer at the Crown Prosecution Service or the officer in the case, and so cannot say if it is acceptable.

He labelled it “at best optimistic”, and it will determined at the next court hearing in April if a Newton hearing – where a judge will listen to both sides of the case and make a decision - is required.

But Mr Scott said that the prosecution’s own expert labelled Glass, of St Clements Way in Bishopdown, Salisbury, a “very low-level dealer”.

Adjourning the case until April 1, Judge James Townsend said: “You’ve now pleaded guilty to these offences and I’m not going to sentence you today because further work needs to be done.

“You will be contacted at some stage by the prob service. You must co-operate with that and with any doctor you’re told to see.

“We don’t know when you’ll have to come back to court to be sentenced.

“You will remain on unconditional bail, you must understand these are serious offences that could carry a prison sentence, but I don’t know what will be passed and I won’t be the judge anyway.”