A SWANSEA Valley man caught selling drugs outside a police station said he began dealing to avoid "turning to crime".

Richard John Pugh was living next door to Pontardawe Police Station in High Street when he was arrested, a court heard.

An investigation was launched after an officer in the station looked out of a window just as Pugh was conducting a drug deal in the street last summer.

Pugh, aged 29, faced a four-count indictment when he appeared at Swansea Crown Court. He pleaded guilty to having six £10 wraps of heroin in his possession on August 30 last year with the intention of supplying them to people.

He also admitted supplying heroin to two named individuals, Dean Roberts and Nicholas Price, during July and August.

Pugh further pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice on August 31 by causing text messages to be sent to Mr Roberts's mobile phone when he knew it had been seized by the police.

He did this in a bid to falsely implicate Mr Roberts in the supply of drugs, the court heard.

Pugh had been due to stand trial having denied all four charges at an earlier hearing.

No jury was needed after Pugh changed his pleas to guilty, but Judge John Diehl QC decided to conduct a trial-of-issue hearing to determine certain factual matters in the case. Giving evidence, Pugh said he had been a heroin addict for abut a decade.

He used two £10 wraps a day and funded his habit by selling heroin and duty-free tobacco.

Pugh described how he would regularly buy 10 wraps of heroin for £60 then sell six of these at £10 each.

Questioned by Judge Diehl, Pugh told the court: "I didn't like selling heroin. I did not want to do it. It was either that or turn to crime."

Judge: "To what?"

Pugh: "To crime."

Judge: "You mean other crime?"

Pugh: "Yes."

The case was adjourned for a fortnight pending the preparation of a probation officer's report.

Bail was revoked by the judge after barrister Kevin Riordan conceded that his client was facing an inevitable sentence of imprisonment.

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