A 'SUICIDAL' dealer caught with nearly £12,000 of drugs has been jailed after his third such conviction.

'Third strike' dealer James Hancock appeared at Worcester Crown Court yesterday via videolink from HMP Hewell, facing a minimum seven year prison sentence because he had done the same thing twice before. The 39-year-old of St Andrew's Road, Pershore, had already admitted possession of crack cocaine with intent to supply on January 17 and January 29 this year. He also admitted possession of cocaine and heroin with intent to supply and possession of criminal property (£5,151 in cash), offences which took place on January 29 this year.

In total officers seized 31.3g of heroin and 80.5g of crack cocaine and cocaine with a combined street value of £11,713. They confiscated £5,151.94 in criminal cash.

Mark Conry, prosecuting, said officers followed Hancock's Renault into the carpark of the Angel Inn, Pershore at 11pm on January 17. They found burnt foil, a gold coloured crack pipe and seized a small plastic bag which Hancock grabbed before running off. He was detained and told officers: "I should not have snatched it back."

Police found 12.3g of crack cocaine and £27.50 in cash. Hancock was bailed to attend the police station on February 2 this year.

However, he was arrested in Pulley Lane, Droitwich on January 29. Police found 2.7g of heroin with a value of £270 and 1.1g of crack cocaine with a street value of £110. A further strip search revealed 28.6g of heroin with a street value of £2,860 (£700 to £900 if sold in bulk), 11.4g of cocaine with a street value of around £1,100 and 68g of crack cocaine with a street value of £6,800 (£3,200 to £3,500 if sold in bulk). Hancock had 11 previous convictions for 33 offences between 1998 and 2005. He had two relevant previous convictions, the first from 2001 when he was jailed for two years for seven offences of possession of heroin with intent to supply and the second from 2005 when he was jailed for three years for dealing heroin.

Barry Newton, for Hancock, argued the seven year minimum sentence should not be imposed on the basis of the age of the two previous dealing convictions. He also advanced personal mitigation, including Hancock's relapse into drug use last year and evidence he had researched 'suicide bags' on Amazon.

Judge Robert Juckes QC jailed him for four and a half years, factoring in a third discount in the sentence because of Hancock's guilty indication at the earliest opportunity at magistrates court. The judge ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the drugs and associated paraphernalia including two crack pipes.