A MAN seen by police 'acting suspiciously' on a street corner in Weymouth had 77 wraps of heroin on him, a court heard.
Thomas Benjamin Ford, aged 27, of Mount Pleasant Avenue South, was stopped by police near Queen Street on March 6 last year.
He admitted possessing heroin and also to possession of a sharp object in a public place - namely a scalpel on a different date, Weymouth Magistrates' Court heard.
Prosecutor Andrew Newman said: "During the arrest in March, Ford tried to run away after being stopped by police and as a result he was handcuffed and searched."
During the search police found heroin weighing 15.4 grammes in total.
He added: "In December, Ford ran from police after behaving suspiciously and was found hiding in a wooden shed, where a scalpel was discovered in his pants."
Mr Newman said a statement at the time from Ford stated he 'didn't know that was in there'.
Patricia Sheehan, representing Ford, said: "The defendant is a heavy heroin user and the amount was for him - there's no evidence there was intent to supply the class A drug.
"During the second incident in December, he was homeless at that time.
"He was using the scalpel knife to cut his fingernails and toenails."
Due to a previous offence involving a knife when Ford was 16, the court decided the possession of the scalpel counts as a second strike offence involving a sharp object in a public place.
Due to the severity of the offences, Ford will be sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court on February 12.
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