HADDENHAM man Karl Minett said it took a police raid on his house to finally “open his eyes” to his escalating drug habit.

The 25-year-old was living with friends at a house in Sutton when he was raided by police on November 24.

Officers discovered 3.5 grams of cocaine and two tablets of diazepam, a mild sedative, in his room and he was subsequently arrested.

Mitigating for Minett at Cambridge Magistrates’ Court on Friday, Christina Metcalfe said: “The position that he got himself into was such that he was using cocaine over and above what he could afford and was having to work more and more hours to support what was becoming out of control.

“At one stage he was working seven days a week to pay his bills and fund his cocaine.”

Ms Metcalfe said that since his arrest, Minett, of Cherry Orchard, had moved back into his father’s house and had stayed clear of drugs.

Addressing the bench, the 25-year-old said: “I had a massive drug problem but as the police came through the door it opened my eyes.”

Pleading guilty to one charge of possessing a Class A drug and one charge of possessing a Class C drug, Minett was handed a 12-week prison sentence, suspended for two years.

He was also ordered to pay �85 court costs and complete 140 hours of unpaid work.