AN Aberystwyth man, who a court heard lived a ‘tragic existence’, has been jailed after being caught with heroin and cocaine.

62-year-old Nicholas Walker, of Brynllan, Caradog Road in Aberystwyth was found with 15g of heroin and 26g of cocaine in May this year after police stopped a car he was travelling in as a passenger.

He had travelled from Aberystwyth to Merthyr Tydfil to buy drugs, Swansea Crown Court heard.

The court was told that Walker was part of a ‘group of long-term drug users’ in Aberystwyth, who spent all their money on drugs, describing it as a ‘tragic existence’.

Prosecuting, Hannah George said that police intercepted the car Walker was a passenger in on 12 May this year on the A4120.

When searched, officers found he was in possession of a crack pipe and they believed he may have concealed drugs internally, so took him to hospital, to which Walker replied ‘no needs for a scan, boys’ and produced two packages from ‘the back of his pants’, which contained the drugs.

The driver of the car was interviewed by police and said he had been paid £17 by Walker to drive him to Merthyr and had taken the opportunity whilst waiting for his passenger to return, to go to Trago Mills ‘to look at sofas’.

The court was told that police examined the driver’s phone for evidence of any involvement in drugs and subsequently released him with no further action being taken.

Walker appeared before Swansea Crown Court for sentencing having previously pleaded guilty to possession of heroin with intent to supply and possession of cocaine with intent to supply.

The court heard that Walker had 23 previous convictions for 65 offences, several of which had been drugs related, dating back to the mid 1980s.

David Singh defending Walker said that his client was part of a ‘group of long-term drug users in his locality’ who spent every penny they received on drugs. He called it a "tragic existence".

Mr Singh said his client accepted a custodial sentence was inevitable and he said Walker's main concern was about his elderly mother for whom he cared.

Handing down a 45 month custodial sentence, Judge Paul Thomas KC said it was accepted that Walker had been selling drugs in Aberystwyth to fund his own habit and that his antecedent record showed a "life-time commitment" to dealing.