A South Tyneside man was caught with cocaine in his pocket when police knocked at his home on another matter, a court heard.

David Stewart, 38, was searched by officers and they discovered a small bag of the prohibited substance in his possession on Monday, January 13.

Stewart, of Cuthbert Street, Hebburn, then refused to answer their questions after his arrest, prosecutor Emily Hunt said.

But he came clean when he appeared before borough magistrates by pleading guilty to possession of the class A drug.

Ms Hunt told the court the offence carried a maximum sentence of 51 weeks behind bars.

The case was heard at South Tyneside Magistrates' Court | National World

She said: “Officers have attended in relation to unrelated matters and conducted a search of the defendant’s address.

“They searched and seized a bag of white powder in the defendant’s pocket.

“In interview no admissions were made. The crown applies for forfeiture and destruction of the drugs.”

The court was told Stewart has seven previous convictions from 13 offences and was last before a court in 2023 for drug related matters.

Joanne Gatens, defending, told magistrates Stewart was seeking help from a professional organisation around his drug use.

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She added: “It’s a guilty plea at the first opportunity. I’m sure you’ll give him full credit for that.

“He accepts that there’s an issue with cocaine and that there has been for some time.

“He purchases it and cuts it into smaller amounts for personal use.

“These matters are now four months old, and he is taking steps to deal with that. He is addressing his issues.”

Magistrates fined Stewart £120 for drug possession, with £85 court costs and £48 victim surcharge, and ordered the confiscation and destruction of the drugs.

John Lee, chair of the bench, said: “You do have a number of drug convictions on your record.”

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Hebburn man caught with cocaine when police knocked on his door