THE son of senior civil servants has been locked up after he was caught red-handed drug dealing.

Toby Chadwick, 20, was found slumped over the wheel of his Toyota Yaris car on Llanwern Road in Newport after police received a tip-off.

Daniel Jones, prosecuting, told Swansea Crown Court when officers seized 10g of cocaine from him, the defendant claimed he had just found it under a bridge.

When police then searched his home they found £1,030 and 22g of cannabis in his bedroom.

Chadwick again lied by tell them the cash came from a car he had sold.

The defendant, of The Plantation, Undy, near Caldicot, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply cocaine, possession of cannabis and possession of criminal property.

South Wales Argus: Toby Chadwick

His offending took place between December 8 and December 9 last year.

Chadwick had no previous convictions.

Tim Evans representing him said: “He’s the son of senior civil servants.

“That’s the background he comes from and he now embarrassingly finds himself appearing in the crown court.”

Young people often think it’s “cool” to take drugs, Mr Evans put forward, and added that the defendant’s case serves as a cautionary tale.

“They can end up in debt and my client found himself on the wrong side of a very dangerous fence,” he told the judge.

“He’s had a traumatic experience in prison. He’s lost a vast amount of weight and being in custody has had an awful effect on him.

“The defendant never wants to see a prison again.”

Chadwick had lost his apprenticeship in motor engineering as a result of his incarceration but his former employer wrote a reference describing him as "a joy to work with”.

Recorder Greg Bull KC told the defendant: “You were a street dealer and your mobile phone had a list of customers as well as a tick list.”

Chadwick was sent to a young offender institution for 30 months and told he would have to serve half of that in custody before being released on licence.

He must pay a £228 victim surcharge.