A KEIGHLEY man searched by police because he was 'acting suspiciously' was in possession of three types of class A drug, Skipton magistrates heard.

Aaron Abbas, a keen sportsman who had played for Sutton FC, was driving a VW Golf in Skipton Road, Cross Hills, during the evening of January 16 when police stopped him because of a possible discrepancy with his licence.

Because of his behaviour, he was searched and police found 17 packages of heroin, 17 packages of crack cocaine and six of cocaine.

Abbas, who admitted three counts of possession of a class A drug, had travelled from his home in Keighley to the Skipton area to buy the drugs for £250 for his own use, the court heard.

In mitigation, Gulfraz Khan said Abbas was a keen sportsman and university graduate, who following a period of depression had taken to class A drugs. He had since voluntarily sought the support of drugs and alcohol charity, Project Six, in Keighley and had been drugs-free for several weeks.

Magistrates told Abbas, of Spencer Street in Keighley, he could have been sent to prison, but they had taken into account his early guilty plea, that he had no previous similar offences and because he is attending Project Six.

He was fined £200 and ordered to pay costs of £85 and a £30 surcharge. A forfeiture and destruction order was made on the drugs.