A NEW dad from Oldbury whose baby was born less than two weeks ago has been jailed for drug dealing in Hereford.

Thomas Mallen pleaded guilty to possessing heroin and cocaine with intent to supply when he appeared at Worcester Crown Court and was jailed for three years and two months.

Siobhan Collins, for Mallen, said her client was devastated that through his own actions he would miss "a large chunk" of his baby's early life.

She said the 22-year-old had fallen in with a bad crowd at a young age and had a previous conviction for dealing in class A drugs.

She told the court: "It is a lifestyle and crowd he has struggled to escape, now he has a child of under two weeks he knows he has to mature and grow up."

Mallen, of Harborne Road, had been in custody since his arrest on October 6 and had seen his baby for the first time just before his court appearance. He had a job in the prison kitchen and wanted to work as a driver on his release.

Paul Whitfield, prosecuting, said Mallen had been arrested by police in a car park in Belmont Road, Hereford with 34 wraps of cocaine weighing 49 grams and 22 wraps of heroin weighing 48 grams. He also had £1,440 in cash and two mobile phones which police said were ringing constantly with requests from his customers.

The prosecution applied for forfeiture of Mallen's car because he had been using it to transport himself from Birmingham to Hereford to sell but the court heard it had been sold.

A proceeds of crime act timetable is to be drawn up at a later date.

Judge Robert Juckes, QC, warned Mallen that if he was caught again it would be a minimum of seven years in jail but he felt Mallen could turn his life around.

The judge told Mallen: "I hope it is right that being a father has given you pause for thought about the way things have gone so far, it is very difficult to break the link to the drugs world. It may just be there are reasons for optimism in your case."