A man who acted as a drug runner for a heroin dealer has been jailed for two years.

Mohammed Faisal's barrister told a judge at Bradford Crown Court that his client had stepped into the shoes of previous runners who had been arrested in undercover police operations.

But Richard Mansell stressed that the 25-year-old father-of-one had only been involved in a supplying heroin once and he was ordinarily a hard-working, family man.

Mr Mansell said Faisal's only explanation for his involvement was that he knew the dealer and he was not the type of man to whom you said no.

Faisal was arrested in February last year a month after he had supplied an undercover police officer with a £10 wrap of heroin in the Little Horton area of Bradford.

Prosecutor Ina Howard said officers recovered £500 from Faisal's home, but Mr Mansell said that money was actually takings from the family's newsagents business, which his client was involved in running.

Faisal, of Pearson Road, Odsal, pleaded guilty to the charge of supplying heroin in November last year, but failed to attend at the Crown Court for his sentence last month.

He was later arrested on a warrant and jailed by Judge James Spencer QC.

Mr Mansell said Faisal regretted the position he had put his wife and family in and he added that everybody who knew his client was surprised to find out he had been involved in such a serious offence.

Passing sentence Judge Spencer said he had taken account of the fact that the offence was entirely out of character, but added that it was a serious matter which inevitably resulted in a prison sentence.