A TEENAGER who became an addict after being supplied free drugs was then put to work on the street as a would-be dealer.

Amar Riaz, of Every Street, Nelson, was described by his lawyer as having become a modern-day slave in a tale fitting of a Dickens novel.

Preston Crown Court heard that Riaz was caught in possession of 26 heroin wraps, worth up to £1,200. The 18-year-old was sentenced to 18 months detention and training after pleading guilty to a charge of possessing heroin with intent to supply.

The week before the offence occurred, the defendant was stopped by police and found to be in possession of £350 cash. He was then warned of the consequences if he was caught with drugs.

Katie Jones, prosecuting, said on May 7 last year, a week later, Riaz was spotted in the Every Street area again. A police officer saw him drop something.

He was pursued and detained. The dropped item was found to be 26 knotted plastic packages of heroin.

There was a total of 12.4 grammes of the drug, with an overall street value of £620 to £1,240.

The youth, who had no previous convictions, was 16 when he committed the offence, 17 when he was convicted and has now turned 18.

His barrister Ben Morris said that, as a schoolboy, Riaz had been fed drugs by cynical dealers.

Mr Morris said: “He was fed drugs by a gang until he was so severely addicted that he could barely get through part of a day without suffering withdrawal symptoms.

"Having ensnared him and fed him heroin until he was in that state, they sent him out to work.

"It is a tale that would befit a Dickensian novel.”