A 38 year old Stonehouse father of four was jailed for 52 months today, Tuesday October 16, for his 'middle man' role in the supply of hard drugs in the Stroud Valleys.

Mark Bainbridge, of Arrowsmith Drive, Stonehouse was found to have 246 grams of cocaine at 76 per cent purity on him when he was arrested on September 16, Gloucester crown court heard.

Judge Michael Cullum said the drugs were 'closer in purity to importation values than street values'.

Prosecutor, Janine Wood, said that the drugs were likely to have been purchased for between £10,000 and £15,000, but had a street value of £25,000.

She said that when Bainbridge was arrested he was also in possession of a significant quantity of cash which had yet to be counted but was believed to be between £3,000 and £5,000.

The barrister said that Bainbridge was brought to justice as a result of police stopping a Silver Honda in which Bainbridge was the front seat passenger at 4.55pm on September 16, on Cainscross roundabout in Stroud.

“When officers approached he tried to remove a white package from his jacket,” the prosecutor said. “He was restrained, and the package was seized.”

When examined the package was found to contain 246g of cocaine at 76 per cent purity.

A smaller package containing 1.53grams of cocaine was also found as well as the large amount of cash.

The court heard that Bainbridge had eight previous convictions covering 14 offences, but nothing for drug supply in the past.

Bainbridge's defence barrister said that his client had longstanding addiction issues with both alcohol and illegal drugs, but was sorry for his activities."

“He wants to repair the damage to his relationships. He wants to be a father again to his children," he said.

Jailing Bainbridge for 52 months, Judge Cullum said his previous convictions 'suggest alcohol and drug abuse are two demons that have plagued you'.

Judge Cullum also fixed a proceeds of crime hearing for May 8, to see what assets can be clawed back from Bainbridge.