A 41-YEAR-OLD Lockwood man caught peddling heroin and cocaine from a car has been given a chance to break his long-standing drug addiction.

Married Mohammed Shaffique faced a prison sentence yesterday after he admitted possessing more than 25 wraps of heroin and cocaine with intent to supply.

But a judge decided to take the unusual step of giving him a community order, which included supervision and a nine-month drug rehabilitation requirement.

Bradford Crown Court heard how Shaffique, of Bentley Street, was stopped in the car by police last June after they saw two people approach the vehicle in the College Road area.

Prosecutor Ken Green described how when the officers said Shaffique was going to be searched, he took off his jacket and the drug wraps fell out.

The court heard Shaffique, who had a previous drugs offence from 1998, had been recruited to peddle the heroin and cocaine by an unscrupulous dealer due to a drugs debt. His barrister Elyas Patel, conceded Shaffique’s drug addiction had brought despair to his family, but his client had voluntarily sought help to break his habit.

Judge James Stewart QC said: “What impresses me most is the fact you took steps yourself to get rid of your drug addiction and you have shown by having negative samples that in the shor-term at least you’ve succeeded.”

Shaffique returns to crown court in April for his first monthly review of the drug rehabilitation requirement.