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.