A KINGTON Langley man whose girlfriend is pregnant has promised to stay off drugs after being convicted of possession of a Class A drug for the second time.

Peter Penny, 19, of Doveys Terrace, pleaded guilty at Chippenham Magistrates Court on Monday to possession of 0.1g of heroin on February 25.

Penny was fined £250 and ordered to pay £118 costs. Michelle Hewitt, prosecuting, said Penny had a previous conviction for possession of a Class A drug on October 22 last year.

Ms Hewitt said police pulled Penny over at the entrance to the North Wiltshire Golf Club on the A350 near Chippenham at 3.30am on February 25.

The inside of the car was searched and four pieces of silver foil were discovered underneath the front passenger seat. One contained brown powder and two others contained a burnt brown residue.

Following tests, one of the wraps was found to contain 0.1g of heroin, worth £10. Penny told police, during interview, that he had bought two wraps of heroin the previous day for £20.

"They were for his own personal use," said Ms Penny.

Michael Jeary, defending, said Penny had been clean since his conviction. "He tells me he has not purchased any more heroin since February 25 when he was stopped," said Mr Jeary.

Mr Jeary said Penny, who has recently found a new job, had been caught in a vicious circle, where his suppliers were keen for him to stay hooked on drugs, in order to feed their own habits. "He is not only the criminal, he is also the victim," he said.