A DRUG dealer broke his back after jumping out of an upstairs window in a futile escape bid.

Tommy Stanton, 22, had tried to flee from the police officers who had arrived to arrest him at his home on Newport’s Chepstow Road.

But they found him in agony hiding in a doorway at the back of the property at around 8pm on Tuesday, November 14, 2023.

David Pinnell, prosecuting, told Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court: “The defendant injured his back when trying to get away from them by jumping out of an upstairs window.

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“He was initially taken to Newport Central police station and thereafter to the Grange University Hospital in Cwmbran for treatment.

“It wasn't until about four days later that he was fit to be interviewed.”

Officers found that Stanton had 437 grams of “different strains” of cannabis, seven litres of diazepam and a small amount of cocaine.

The drugs were worth at least £4,000 and police also seized £495 in cash.

There were also drug-related messages retrieved from his mobile phone.

Stanton admitted possession with intent to supply a class B drug, possession with intent to supply a class C drug and possession of a class A drug.

The defendant had a relevant previous conviction.

He was sent to a young offender institution for 28 months in 2021 for trafficking cocaine.

Emma Harris representing Stanton said her client had suffered “a terrible tragedy” after his partner was killed in a car accident.

“He sought solace in drugs and found himself in a spiral of having to fund his own habit by selling drugs,” she said.

His barrister added that the defendant had started his own clothing line before his arrest last autumn.

Judge Richard Kember told Stanton: “You had an expectation of significant financial advantage as shown by the amount of cannabis that you had and its value and also the amount of cash that was found in your address.

“You had some awareness and understanding of the scale of the operation because of the messages on your phone where you were arranging deals.

“In terms of harm, you were selling directly to users.”

Stanton was jailed for 12 months.