Heroin was kept in partner's knickers (From Stroud News and Journal)

Heroin was kept in partner's knickers

A MAN who has kept his store of heroin in his girlfriend's knickers while she was wearing them escaped jail at Gloucester crown court on Friday.

Judge Michael Roach heard that when police stopped Graham Little's car in Stroud, his partner Rebecca Keen seemed very nervous.

Both were arrested and at Stroud police station she reached into her panty-lining and pulled out 13 wraps of heroin weighing a total of 1.82 grams.

However, Little insisted that the drugs were entirely for his use and Keen was just carrying them for him.

Little, 24, of Reservoir close, Stroud, admitted possessing the heroin and was sentenced to an 18 months community rehabilitation order.

The case had been outlined at an earlier hearing by Crown barrister Toby Halliwell who said the couple's two year old son and their dog had also been in the car when it stopped in Russell Street at 2pm on July 3rd last year.

When police stopped the car, Little had been aggressive and had refused to get out. He had wrapped a dog chain around his fist and had punched out and kicked towards officers, alleged Mr Halliwell.

Eventually, he said, two officers got into the car and overpowered and handcuffed Little.

They had earlier drawn their ASP batons and threatened to break the car windows if he did not surrender.

Mr Jonathan Challinor, defending, told the court Little did not accept all aspects of the alleged violent behaviour.

He said Little had been a heroin addict for several years-since the death of a new born child.

But he was trying to get off the drugs for the sake of his family and the reason his partner had the heroin in her underwear was so she could ration out his supply and try to wean him off it, added the barrister.

At Fridays hearing Judge Roach read a pre-sentence report on Little and told Mr Challinor he was prepared to follow the recommendations.