A MAN caught hiding Class A drugs inside a Kinder Egg has been spared jail.

Leigh Lester, of Vulcan Court, Banbury, had already admitted two counts of possession of heroin and crack cocaine as well as one of possession of cannabis.

Oxford Crown Court heard at his sentencing on Friday how following reports of drug dealing officers raided the 45-year old’s Banbury flat on March 6 at about 5.30pm.

While there they seized a single chocolate confection manufactured by Kinder Chocolate, within which they found a surprise of a very different kind then they may have been expecting.

Two wraps of heroin and one wrap of crack cocaine were discovered, and police also seized a small quantity of cannabis from inside the flat.

Prosecutor Henry James told the court that stashing drugs inside of the chocolate eggs had become a ‘ubiquitous’ method of transporting them.

The court also heard that Lester had 19 convictions for 33 previous offences.

In mitigation, Jane Brady said that her client had admitted his guilt at the first opportunity and had told officers where the drugs could be found straight away.

She said: “Most of his previous offending has been relatively minor because he has been struggling with an alcohol addiction for the last 10 years.

"A drug addiction is not blighting his life and in fact he has only been taking it since the earlier part of his year when his alcohol addiction was at a low point."

Sentencing, Recorder James Curtis QC said: "Possession of hard drugs is something the courts will not tolerate but you have pleaded guilty at the first opportunity to possession.

"The Crown has accepted that and also accepted that from the moment police arrived you said where the drugs were and what they were and you were totally frank about it.

"It is not the most minor nor is it the most serious."

Lester was ordered to pay a fine totalling £225 - £25 for the cannabis and £100 for each of the two Class A drugs, as well as court costs of £25 and a £30 victim surcharge.

For a previously imposed conditional discharge - for which he was in breach for this offence, no separate penalty was ordered.