A GREENOCK drug addict choked as he swallowed ‘several’ bags containing brown powder after being spotted by police.

Thomas Keogh, 37, was hospitalised for two days as a result of the incident at a chemist’s shop in Belville Street on 9 December.

The sheriff court heard how Keogh — jailed previously for drug supply — was in the shop with the intention of passing the knotted bags on to another person there.

Prosecutor David Simpson said: “Officers were approaching him on an unrelated matter and saw him place items he had into his mouth.

“It was suspected that these items were illegal drugs and he was removed from the shop for the purposes of a search.

“The accused was agitated and had several knotted bags in his mouth and was trying to swallow them.

“He was placed on the ground in the recovery position for his own safety.

“The accused began to choke and brown-coloured saliva emerged from his mouth.

“He asked to be taken to Inverclyde Royal Hospital where he was detained for observation for two days.” On being cautioned and charged following his release from hospital, Keogh stated to police: “How do you know it was heroin?” Defence lawyer Andrew Kennedy said: “The court sees his record. The irony is that in the last two to three months things have been getting better for him.

“Mr Keogh has been using the services of the drugs team but it would be wrong to say that he attends assiduously.

“He had met an acquaintance who asked him to convey the items to someone else in the chemist.” Solicitor Mr Kennedy argued that it would be a ‘retrograde step’ to jail Keogh and asked for his client to be placed on a drug treatment and testing order.

He told Sheriff Derek Hamilton: “He would seize that chance.” But the sheriff took a different view and decided to sentence Keogh, of Belville Street, to four months in prison.

He told him: “You have a significant record and you were out on licence for a drug supply conviction.

“Whilst awaiting trial on that matter you had other offences, including theft by shoplifting. You were convicted of a directly analogous offence to this in 2012, for which you received eight months in custody.

“In view of your record there is no alternative to custody.”