TWO drug addicts have avoided prison today after vowing to turn their lives around.Adam Winlow, 24 and David Heslop, 33 were both sentenced to a 12-month drug treatment and testing order and 18-months supervision after pleading guilty to possessing class A drugs with intent to supply.

TWO drug addicts have avoided prison today after vowing to turn their lives around.

Adam Winlow, 24 and David Heslop, 33 were both sentenced to a 12-month drug treatment and testing order and 18-months supervision after pleading guilty to possessing class A drugs with intent to supply.

Winlow from St Peters Close, Claydon admitted possessing cannabis on August 10, 2006 and possessing MDMA, cocaine and cannabis on November 11, 2006.

He also admitted possessing heroin with intent to supply on the latter date.

Danielle O'Donovan, mitigating, said Winlow had a good support network around him and was making efforts to tackle his drug problem.

She said: “He is a young man and clearly he is committed to weaning himself off a difficult and long drug habit.

“He has the support of his mother, father and his grandparents are nearby and playing an active role.”

Ms O'Donovan said that since Winlow had appeared in court three weeks earlier he had attended all of the programmes required.

Sentencing him Judge Peter Thompson said: “You are very lucky you have supportive parents and the support of the probation service.

“More than half the people who the courts put into drug rehabilitation fail. That means you have got to get yourself into the 40 per cent who succeed.

“If you fail you will go to prison and drug dealers go to prison for quite long periods of time.”

Heslop, of Rapier Street, Ipswich admitted possession of heroin with intent to supply and possession of cocaine with intent to supply - the case was unconnected to Winlow.

The court heard Heslop had spent 139 days on remand before being released from prison and he had remained clean of drugs since his release.

Hugh Vass, mitigating, said his client had had a drug problem since he was 14 and had never taken part in a proper rehabilitation programme.

Mr Vass said when Heslop was arrested he told police he was glad he had been caught as he was “so tired” of what he was doing.

Sentencing him Judge Thompson warned that if he failed in his rehabilitation bid, Heslop could expect to face at least three years in prison.

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