A man from Wrexham who lost his business turned to dealing in cocaine.

Kurt Lee Burgess, 30, was jailed for four years and two months.

Burgess had previously denied the offences and was due to go on trial next month but today he returned to Mold Crown Court and asked for the charges to be put to him again

Burgess, 30, of Y Wern, Caia Park, was told by Judge David Hale that the sentence would have been five years but for his guilty pleas.

He admitted he had in his possession 56 grammes of cocaine and 199 grammes of cannabis with intent to supply.

A financial hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act will be held in May amid allegations of unexplained deposits into his bank account.

Judge Hale said Burgess had been given a suspended sentence in 20013 for supplying class A drugs but within a short time he had been “at it again” given the tick lists and the many payments the court had seen.

It was not on a small scale, he said.

He was banking amounts of money – not massive amounts but hundreds of pounds at a time.

Judge Hale said he accepted that Burgess was himself taking cocaine and that was probably part of the pressure for him to deal.

He was playing a significant role, it was regular dealing and he had done it before.

Judge Hale warned him that in view of his convictions, he would in prison come under pressure and it was up to him whether he allowed himself to be “sucked in again.”

Barrister Brian Treadwell, prosecuting, said on December 21, 2016, police executed a search warrant at a property which the defendant rented at Nelson Terrace in Southsea, Wrexham.

Bags, scales, a dealer’s list , cannabis and cocaine were seized together with a cannabis grinder and £2,700 in cash. A cutting agent was also found.

The cocaine had a street value of £2,328 and the cannabis £1,422.

Interviewed, Burgess made no comment.

He had previous convictions for 22 offences including a robbery, possessing an imitation firearm and had received a suspended sentence for possessing cocaine with intent to supply previously.

Defence barrister Simon Mills said Burgess had a legitimate business which went wrong and he had started dealing in cocaine.

He had also been working as a warehouse operative but had resigned two weeks ago because he appreciated a custodial sentence was inevitable.

The defendant, said Mr Mills, had been using cocaine as well as supplying it.

He came from a large and close-knit family who were supporting him together with his girlfriend of 18 months but he knew it was his fault that they would be deprived of his company for a period of time.

Mr Mills said Burgess had a daughter of five. He had a good relationship with her and had regular access to her.

Mr Mills said Burgess had got to a point in his life where he wanted to change.

He was determined that the present offences should be the last and he would use his time in custody wisely.

The judge said there was evidence of payments into his bank account and the lists showed dealing in quite substantial quantities.