A teenaged drug dealer was caught because his bicycle broke down and passing police officers stopped to help him, a court heard today (June 6).

The officers realised that Nathan Hatton was behaving in a 'fearful and anxious' way - and they then noticed a tell-tale bulge in his trousers, said prosecutor Rupert Russell at Gloucester Crown Court.

Suspecting that Hatton was up to no good they asked if he had any drugs on him and he replied that he had cocaine.

The officers then found three wraps of the drug weighing a total of 1.18grams on him, said the prosecutor. Hatton also had £110 in cash and two mobile phones. One of the phones, a Nokia, was found to contain numerous bulk text messages advertising the sale of powder cocaine.

Hatton, now 21, of Clyde Road, Brockworth, Gloucester, pleaded guilty to possessing cocaine with intent to supply and being concerned in supply of the drug in May 2020, when he was aged 19.

He also admitted a catalogue of subsequent offences of harassment of a woman, making a threat of violence to her, breaches of a non-molestation order, and criminal damage.

The judge, Recorder David Chidgey, sentenced him to a total of 3 years and 7 months imprisonment.

Mr Russell had told the court that Hatton's drug offences were uncovered by chance when police stopped to help him in Green Street, Brockworth, on May 25, 2020, after his bike broke down.

Hatton was no stranger to the law - he had previous drug convictions in March 2019 for supply of heroin and cocaine and in March 2020 for cannabis supply, the prosecutor said.

Mr Russell added: "It is clear in this latest case that he was not just a runner but was in control of the dealer line for at least several weeks."

He told the court all the other offences committed by Hatton related to a woman with whom he had been in a relationship and was pregnant with his child.

They began a relationship in March last year but it deteriorated and in November Hatton used violence against her three times, said Mr Russell. He said Hatton slapped and punched her after an argument, then after a further argument he grabbed her round the neck and squeezed so she could not breathe. Finally, he pulled at her hair.

"There were numerous abusive and threatening texts sent by him to her," Mr Russell said. "He called her a slag, a ho, a bitch. He said he prayed that the baby she was carrying would be retarded and get taken away from her.

"He made threats to her and her family and he announced her pregnancy, against her wishes, on social media.

"He sent her a message saying 'I am going to cut the baby out of you and spit on it' and he also made threats to burn her house down.

"On December 3, last year matters came to a head. He went to her home and kicked open the door, before striking her in the stomach."

Hatton snatched her mobile phone and took it upstairs to check her messages then left the property taking the phone with him. He returned a few minutes later and kicked the door off its hinges, smashing a glass panel. He then threw her phone to the floor and it smashed.

The victim fled through the garden to a neighbour's home and the police were called, said Mr Russell.

Hatton was arrested, made no comment and was released - but he then embarked on numerous attempts to contact her in breach of a non-molestation order. He even tried to get into her Facebook account and change her password.

"We say all this caused very serious distress to the victim," said Mr Russell.

Lloyd Jenkins, defending, said Hatton has not used Class A drugs since his arrest two years ago.

He said Hatton's involvement with the woman victim was his first ever serious relationship and he had not been emotionally equipped to deal with it or to cope with the idea of becoming a dad.

Passing sentence the judge, Recorder David Chidgey, said the drugs offences had been committed only a couple of months after Hatton was sentenced for cannabis dealing.

"You sent very unpleasant messages to your former partner, threatening to kill her and her unborn baby and to burn her house down," said the Recorder.

"However, you have rid yourself of drugs and that will be a benefit to yourself and everyone who meets you. You are also still relatively young."

Recorder Chidgey jailed Hatton for two and a half years for the cocaine offences, one year consecutively for the harassment and associated offences against the woman, and one month for breach of bail.