POLICE who raided the home of a disabled man found a stash of drugs worth almost £25,000, a court heard today.

Jeffrey Aylesbury had never before been in trouble and was said to have smoked a small amount of cannabis to ease his pains.

A search of his Billingham home, however, uncovered crack cocaine worth £23,500 hidden in the kitchen.

Herbal cannabis worth more than £1,000 was also found, Sue Jacobs, prosecuting, told Teesside Crown Court.

Aylesbury, 55, told police the drugs had been stashed by dealers to whom he owed money for his cannabis deliveries.

He claimed he had no idea what had been put in his kitchen cupboards or how much, and had been warned not to touch it.

Aylesbury, of Malvern Road, was given a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, with supervision for six months.

He admitted possessing Class A and Class C drugs with intent to supply, and possessing small amounts of cannabis and amphetamine.

Judge Brian Forster, QC, said he would have been jailed for two years had it not been for him being preyed upon and his ill-health.

The court heard how wheelchair-user Aylesbury suffered a heart attack when police raided his home on July 15 last year.

The divorcee takes 20 different forms of medication for a catalogue of complaints, including angina, diabetes and chronic kidney disease.

Peter Wishlade, mitigating, told the court that the cannabis was added to the cocktail of prescribed medicine to ease leg pains.

Judge Forster heard that Aylesbury's small debt was repeatedly increased until it reached £300, and he was told to store the other substances.

The judge told Aylesbury: "I suspend the sentence because you were exploited and you were unaware of what was in the packages. I take into account your previous goods character and your poor situation."