A 22-year-old man escaped jail for bagging up heroin because a judge decided he made a stupid mistake.

Syed Shah, of Victor Terrace, Heaton, Bradford, pleaded guilty to possessing the drug with intent to supply.

Bradford Crown Court heard today that drugs squad officers caught him in an attic bedroom helping a cousin to pack heroin into bags.

Prosecutor Ewan McLachlan said police raided a house in Farfield Terrace, Girlington, on August 17 last year.

They found £8,200 of heroin and £1,200 of crack cocaine. The haul also included scales, mobile phones, plastic bags and £5,300 in cash.

Shah told police he was visiting a cousin who asked for help to bag up drugs for his dealer.

The court heard the cousin had already been sentenced for drug dealing.

Judge Peter Benson told Shah he was in the wrong place at the wrong time and very stupidly agreed to help.

He was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment suspended for two years and ordered to do 120 hours of unpaid work.