A nurse sold a 'chemsex' drug to friends during what was said to be a "dark time" in his life both professionally and personally.

More than £3,300 worth of methylamphetamine was found when police searched David Popple's camper van.

Canterbury Crown Court was told the 63-year-old, who has risen to the rank of matron in his career and volunteered with St John Ambulance for four decades, was dealing the Class A drug at £60 a gram to "a small community" of men.

Popple was said to have gone through a number of problems in the two years leading up to his arrest, including a divorce and the death of a close friend, a cancer diagnosis and a work investigation - all "extraordinary circumstances" which led to him acting out of character, argued his lawyer.

The court heard the NHS worker's illicit supply was discovered in October 2022 when police were called to reports of a disturbance in Radnor Park Crescent, Folkestone.

Prosecutor Wajahat Sherwani said background checks linked both Popple, who was loading possessions into his van at the time, and the vehicle to drug supply.

Searches were carried out and officers found 50.98g of methylamphetamine with a street value of £3,355, as well as drugs paraphernalia including deal bags and syringes.

Smaller quantities of the same drug, together with cocaine and ecstasy, were discovered at his address, with messages on his phone indicating his price and that the preferred method of ingestion was intravenously.

It was also said that there was a "suggestion" he was supplying the 'party drug' GHB but Popple, of Belmarsh Crescent, Hythe, did not face any charges in relation to that substance.

Following his arrest he gave two 'No comment' interviews but later pleaded guilty to possessing methylamphetamine with intent to supply.

Detailing the extent of Popple's dealing, defence barrister John Briant told the court it lacked the elements of a large supply network.

"Although there are end users, it's a small number of people rather than something like a county lines arrangement where there is a burner phone and messages sent out broadcasting," he told the court.

"This was a small community of men using chemsex drugs. He was someone who was using in a group of people who could obtain drugs... and he was the one who ended up organising it."

Of the difficulties Popple was experiencing at the time, Mr Briant continued: "In 2020 he was subject to a complaint at work with three others.

"It resulted in a long investigation and NFA (no further action) but that significantly disrupted his working life and meant he became disillusioned, anxious and depressed.

"He then had a diagnosis of cancer in 2021 and had to undergo a number of surgeries, as did his best friend for whom he ended up being his carer during Covid.

"Unfortunately, he died, and he (Popple) went through significant divorce proceedings with his husband too.

"He lost his best friend, he was divorcing his husband, his father died and a paramedic he knew was found dead.

"There were a number of people that lost their lives and it was a really dark time for him. He became engaged with this group and that's how it started."

Urging the court to spare Popple an immediate jail term, Mr Briant added: "You may feel it would take these kinds of circumstances for someone who has dedicated the past 40 years of his life to helping others in the community to get to the position where we are today.

"These are extraordinary circumstances, totally out of character for this man, and where the court could apply mercy on sentencing."

Popple's current job status or where he has worked were not revealed during the sentencing hearing on Monday.

However, reference was made to a possibility of him undertaking treatment courses run at London's Chelsea and Westminster Hospital which were to be funded, said Mr Briant, as "part of his engagement previously and long-term employment with" the NHS.

On deciding that he could suspend a two-year prison sentence for two years, Recorder Daniel Stevenson said that it was a "tragedy" that someone working in health care and aware of the harm caused by drugs had become involved in dealing.

But he added that he believed Popple had been motivated by "social status" rather than making money.

"You conducted an operation supplying what are colloquially referred to as chemsex drugs. The nature of the supply was directly linked to your own abuse of chemsex drugs as part of the gay social scene," the judge told Popple.

"You were supplying for some profit but mainly to friends and some acquaintances in your social circle. I believe you were motivated by enhancing social status rather than profit. As a health practitioner, you know all too well the damage drug abuse does to society and it is a tragedy you have risked your profession by committing this offence."

As part of his sentence, Popple must carry out 140 hours of unpaid work and 25 rehabilitation activity requirements.

Recorder Stevenson said that he had taken the defendant's previous good character, prospects of employment and rehabilitation, the impact of custody on his elderly mother and the state of the current prison population into consideration when determining the appropriate punishment.