A former drug addict told a jury that the cheapest heroin in Worcester was available from a block of flats in the city.

Craig Parkin, who has kicked a £500 a week habit, was a frequent visitor in 2002 and shoplifted to raise money to buy drugs.

He said lots of people went to a flat in Nightingale House, Vicarage Court, St Paul's, Worcester, for their supplies.

"At the time it was the cheapest heroin around," he said in evidence at Worcester Crown Court.

"People would be knocking the door every five minutes."

Mr Parkin was caught with five wraps of heroin on him when nine police officers raided the flat on May 23, 2002.

Arrested with him were four other people including Iklaq Ahmed.

Benefits

It is alleged he was dealing in heroin and crack cocaine.

Prosecutor Abigail Nixon claimed that although he was on benefits, Ahmed was living beyond his means and was making frequent trips to Worcester from his home in Birmingham.

Ahmed, aged 22, of Kings Road, Erdington, denies five counts of supplying drugs and possession with intent to supply.

The jury heard how Ahmed was sitting on a bed in the flat when police armed with a search warrant burst in.

Under the bed was discovered heroin with a street value of £580 and cocaine worth £80, said Miss Nixon. Ahmed had £356 cash on him.

She claimed the defendant told two people in the flat that he managed to stash drugs he was holding under the bed's mattress without police seeing him.

Mr Parkin said he had met Ahmed - known by the nickname Scorpio - 20 times over a month and bought both class A drugs off him.

After the raid, forensic scientists matched Mr Parkin's six wraps with the drugs under the bed and accused him of being the dealer.

He was eventually only charged with possession and was given a two-year community rehabilitation order for the offence by magistrates.

Mr Parkin said: "It didn't look good for me, so I said whose drugs they were. I didn't want to go to prison for something I didn't do."

Defence counsel Adam Western suggested that to encourage police to reduce the charge against him, he had blamed an innocent man.

At the time, Mr Parkin owed his girlfriend over £2,000, money he had borrowed for drugs.

Mr Western alleged he was so desperate he could have worked for a dealer to satisfy his own cravings.

The trial continues.