King's Lynn man caught with drugs between buttocks 'needs help more than punishment', court told

A drug user well known to Lynn police was found with illegal substances hidden between his buttocks twice in quick succession.

Luke Paget was first stopped in the town on March 5 following information that he was in possession of class A drugs.

The 32-year-old admitted to officers that he had a wrap hidden between his buttocks.

It fell to the floor during a strip search in custody, Lynn Magistrates’ Court was told on Thursday. The 0.9 grams of cocaine was said to be worth between £40 and £80.

Ten days later, Paget was stopped while riding a bike in Wisbech Road. Again, a wrap was found secreted on his body and it was found to contain heroin.

Paget, of Lowfield, Fairstead, Lynn, pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of class A drugs.

In committing the offences, he breached a two-year community order imposed last September for assaulting an emergency worker. Attached to it was a drug rehabilitation requirement (DRR) order.

In mitigation, solicitor Andrew Cogan said his client had almost completed the DRR with support from Change Grow Live.

He said Paget regularly attracts the attention of police as a well-known drug user and the latest offences had been triggered by a relative going into hospital and Paget not being kept informed of their progress by his estranged family.

Mr Cogan added: “This is a man, in my submission, who needs more help than he does punishment.”

The community order was revoked and a fresh one imposed with a single requirement of a six-month DRR.

Paget was also ordered to pay £105 costs and a £95 victim surcharge.