A taxi driver who was caught driving around Southport peddling drugs was jailed for three years today.

A court heard that John Freeman had got into the illicit trade to pay off the £1,000 Christmas debt he had run up.

“It started with the desire to give his family as good a Christmas as possible and it ended badly. He made a very bad mistake and he is very ashamed,” said Michael Davies, defending.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that police had been tipped off that Freeman was selling drugs. In the early hours of February 7 last year officers saw him driving a silver Vauxhall Vectra and followed it around until it stopped outside his home in Duke Street.

When officers spoke to him he admitted he had cocaine wraps worth £228 on him and when searched he was also found to have £3,145 cash and three mobile phones, said Nigel Beeson, prosecuting.

Police also spotted a plastic case he had disposed of on the the pavement just in front of the car. This was found to contain a further 58 wraps of the drug with a street value of £1,600.

38-year-old Freeman pleaded guilty to possessing cocaine with intent to supply.

Mr Davies said that he has three children from his first marriage and two with his fiancee, who was sitting crying in the public gallery.

He worked hard to provide for both families and borrowed a £1,000 for Christmas. The person he borrowed if from spotted a weakness and kept adding interest and got him involved in drugs supply, said Mr Davies, who added that Freeman will be unable to return to his taxi driving work.

Jailing him the judge, Recorder John Gibson, said that he accepted he was a conscientious and caring father but it was a serious offence and he had to impose custodial sentence.

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