A Selby man has pleaded guilty to possession of heroin.

Garron Marc Billany, 21, of Charles Street, Selby, was stopped by police officers while walking towards the town's swing bridge on October 24.

Andrew Moore, prosecuting, said that Billany fitted the description of a man who had been seen buying drugs, so the police searched him.

Billany told them he had heroin in his wallet and they found three small wraps of heroin in silver foil.

When interviewed, he told police he had paid £15 for the drugs for his own use.

Keith Haggerty, mitigating, said his client had had problems with heroin in the past and had recently been convicted of a drug-related theft.

Billany had reduced his drug intake by two-thirds and now only took a minimal amount of heroin.

He said the defendant was nursing his partner, who was extremely ill with a kidney infection, and was helping her look after her children.

Mr Haggerty said: "He has been struggling with his habit for a long time and he hopes in the not too distant future to be free of the drug altogether."

Magistrates adjourned the case until January 23 for a pre-sentence report to be prepared.

Updated: 16:03 Friday, January 03, 2003