A 22-year-old Felixstowe man has escaped jail after admitting holding drugs with a street value of more than £10,000.

Alex Henderson mum contacted Suffolk police after becoming concerned with a substance she discovered on the path at her home in Andrew Close on July 26, three years ago.

Police searched her son Alex's bedroom and found 336.5 grams of the psychoactive substance chloroethcathinone, also known as CEC, 178.8 grams of cannabis, and 10.4 grams of cocaine – valued at more than £10,000, and he was subsequently arrested.

Henderson previously pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing class B drugs and one charge of possessing class A drugs before magistrates in Ipswich on September 10 last year.

Henderson was given a two-year, suspended prison sentence yesterday (Wednesday, July 8), after confessing he had been holding the drugs for someone else and was not concerned in the supply.

That defence was accepted by prosecutors and in a letter from Henderson's father read in court said his son had "totally distanced himself" from a previous acquaintances, and had been employed for the past three years.

Judge Martyn Levett told Henderson his admission and explanation weighed in his favour, and accepted he had turned his life around in the past three years.

Henderson was sentenced to two years' imprisonment, suspended for two years and must also complete 150 hours of unpaid work and undertake 20 Rehabilitation Activity (RA) days.

The judge also ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the drugs.