A man who dealt in cocaine after becoming addicted following a split from his girlfriend has been jailed.

Harry Harris, 23, of Chaffinch Close, Chatham, was caught after police stopped his Ford Fiesta car on September 13 last year.

Prosecutor Vivian Walters said officers spotted drugs equipment in the car and while being spoken to, his phone was constantly ringing. He handed over a white substance in sealable bags from his waistband.

When officers searched his home they found 32.5g of cannabis worth £1,300 in a safe. The total amount seized was 34.64g. Cash totalling £510 was confiscated.

John Fitzgerald, defending, said there had been no prevarication by Harris, who admitted possessing cocaine with intent to supply and possessing cannabis.

He left school with good grades and qualified as a plumber.

Mr Fitzgerald said: “He was in a stable relationship but they split and it was the start of his spiral into offending.

“He became an unhappy young man. He was offered cocaine and it broke the morose state he was in. It became his crutch. He thought naively he could sell a bit and provide himself for free.

“It was a small operation. He was a middle man. He was taking 2-3g of cocaine a day - not any more. He has had the strength to do something about it.

“It is something he has overcome and the risk of reoffending is hugely reduced.”

Harris has been jailed for two-and-a-half years.