A HOPELESS drug addict who spent almost £200,000 on crack cocaine and heroin now uses stolen bank cards to buy food to exchange for drugs.

Andrew Driver inherited money but “wasted” it all within a few years on the class A substances and is now in debt and committing crime, a court heard.

He admitted a series of offences when he appeared at Colchester Magistrates’ Court yesterday.

The court heard Driver, 45, had been taking drugs with another man when they decided they wanted more on September 17.

Another man, who has already been jailed for two years and four months, left and burgled a house in Dilbridge Road West, Colchester, while the owners slept inside.

Car keys and a purse were stolen from the home by the man who then returned to Driver.

Driver, who had not been involved in the original burglary, used the car keys to find and steal a Ford Fiesta worth £5,000.

They visited a series of shops to buy goods with the stolen card and stole number plates to put on the Ford Fiesta.

Within 75 minutes of getting hold of the card, Driver had used it four times between 3.37am and 4.51am.

Driver, of Dover Road, Brightlingsea, admitted handling stolen goods and theft of the car.

He admitted four counts of fraud by false representation at a Tesco store, Asda store and a BP garage in Colchester and an Esso garage in Elmstead Market.

Each theft involved food worth between £20 and £27 with the food later exchanged for drugs.

He also admitted stealing number plates from two vehicles.

Driver admitted driving the car when questioned by police and said he got involved to help make money to support his £1,000-a-week habit.

Frank O’Toole, mitigating, told the court Driver had wasted his £185,000 inheritance on drugs.

He said Driver had a 21 year habit and his life “had been destroyed by his addiction first to alcohol and then drugs”.

District Judge Susan Holdham said: “You have passed the custody threshold.

“You have had an ingrained addiction to alcohol and drugs.

“You have spent the money left by your parent, that has just gone, wasted.

“That is why these offences occurred.

“You have undertaken programmes in the past but just paid lip service to them but I will give you the chance to deal with your addiction.

“If you don’t you will be back here. You know it. I know it.”

Driver was sentenced to six months in jail for handling stolen goods and six months for stealing the car to be served consecutively.

He was sentenced to two months for each of the other offences, to be served concurrently, making a total of 12 months in jail.

The sentence was suspended for two years and a community order imposed including six months of drug rehabilitation and 30 days of rehabilitation activity.