A 42-year-old former Ipswich binman who supplied cocaine, amphetamine and cannabis to fund his own drug habit has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Sentencing Victor Da Costa Silva through a Portuguese interpreter, Judge Emma Peters said he had kept drugs at the home he shared with his wife and children and had allowed addicts to come to the house to buy their drugs.

She accepted that he had been extremely short of money at the time of the offences and had been addicted to drugs and had committed the offences out of desperation.

Police officers raided Victor Da Costa Silva’s home in Bramford Lane on September 14 last year and found drugs with a street value of up to £1,900, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

The drugs included 24.5 grammes of cocaine with a street value of £965 to £1,205, 31g of cannabis worth between £375 to £555 and 8.7g of amphetamine worth between £65 and £130.

Police also found two mobile phone containing messages connected to drug dealing and a notebook containing entries concerning money owed by customers for drugs.

The court heard that Da Costa Silva had been making a small, regular income by running his own small-scale operation and that no one else appeared to have been involved

Da Costa Silva admitted possession with intent to supply cocaine, amphetamine and cannabis and possession of synthetic stimulant methylmethcathinone – also known as mephedrone or Mcat.

He was given a two year prison sentence suspended for two years and ordered to do 300 hours unpaid work.

He was also ordered to pay £400 costs.

Simon Gladwell for Da Costa Silva said he had been selling drugs to fund his own cocaine and cannabis use and to support his family.

He said Da Costa Silva lived with his partner and her two children, but also had two other children from a previous relationship.

He said Da Costa Silva had been sacked from his job as an Ipswich Borough Council refuse collector as a result of the charges, but had since managed to secure work in the construction industry.

He said his client had no previous convictions and had kept his drug addiction and his drug dealing from his wife.

Mr Gladwell said that Da Costa Silva had learned his lesson and had not used any drugs since his arrest.