A heroin user who was pressed into becoming a dealer after running up a £1,000 debt has been jailed for three years.

Martin Slattery, 40, peddled the class A drug under pressure from a Manchester criminal who was owed money.

But Slattery was caught out and brought to justice at Carlisle Crown Court where his own barrister described him as a "pathetic bottom-of-the-pile user".

He was sentenced having pleaded guilty to possessing heroin with intent to supply. He also admitted having small amounts of amphetamine and cannabis for his own use. These were found at his home in Wilson Street, Workington, on April 28.

On that date, prosecutor Beccy McGregor told the court, police executed a warrant and found Slattery at the address with his partner.

Some £1,105 cash was located inside a pillowcase on the sofa, and a further £70 was retrieved from Slattery's wallet. He claimed the latter to be "his winnings".

Almost 32g of heroin was found bagged in various locations of the house. This was said to have an estimated street value of £3,260.

There were also damning debtors' lists.

"These would appear to show various amounts outstanding, and would appear to be amounts of hundreds if not thousands of pounds," said Ms McGregor.

Slattery was said to have 30 convictions for almost 50 offences, although the were no other drug trafficking crimes on the record, the court heard.

Brendan Burke, mitigating, said his client had been "engagingly frank" about his latest misdemeanours.

In an address to Judge Peter Davies, Mr Burke explained: "He was allowed by a Manchester criminal to build up a debt - personal use of heroin - of £1,000.

"Your Honour knows that some people will allow this situation to arise so that the user is in a pressurised situation and will agree to a particular way of discharging the debt, which in his case was to sell quantities of heroin."

Slattery had been seeking to wean himself off heroin and was working with a drug and alcohol recovery team.

But the barrister conceded: "He is a pathetic, bottom-of-the-pile user."

Judge Davies imposed a three-year jail term. But he accepted that not all of the amounts of the money showing as owed on the debtors' list were due to Slattery.

The judge, who directed that all the seized drugs should be destroyed, added: "You are being used."