Stephen Proudman was jailed for 12 months after he pleaded guilty to possession of a Class A drug on March 15 with intent to supply

Stephen Proudman then approached them and he said that he had drugs - cocaine - for friends.He had two bags and he said he had been given the smaller bag for looking after the larger amount and £450.He said he was looking after the cocaine for a friend who had gone into town and had not wanted to take them with him, Teesside Crown Court was told.Shaun Grainger, defending, said Proudman, 22, had never been in trouble before and he was approached by someone who he knew was a street dealer and from who he had bought cocaine before.Proudman was asked to look after the drugs for the evening and to hand them back the following morning.Mr Grainger added: “He is very much at the bottom of any supply line.“He has shown remorse and he comes across as a polite young man who regrets what he has done. He has taken steps to address his social drug taking and to distance himself from the man who asked him to look after the drugs.“He is not someone who is likely to ever trouble these courts again.”Judge Michael Taylor told Proudman: “You appear to be a decent young man.
“You are asked by your dealer to mind the drugs and his stash, and you know that people are going to profit from that and it causes misery to others.“But those who are involved in any way, shape or form in the supply chain of Class A drugs know that prison is inevitable.”Proudman of Rousham Gardens, Middlesbrough, was jailed for 12 months after he pleaded guilty to possession of a Class A drug on March 15 with intent to supply.