A BOSBURY man who supplied the heroin that killed a Ledbury drug user has been jailed for four years.

Wesley Furber had pleaded guilty to four counts of dealing heroin at a court hearing last year and on Monday appeared for sentencing at Worcester Crown Court.

Appearing for the defence, Gareth Walters told the court his client had supplied four £10 bags of heroin to 23-year-old Kevin Bayliss on November 7 last year.

Mr Bayliss bought the drug for himself and his brother Paul, he said.

The court heard that the heroin was either contaminated or unusually strong, and both Paul and Kevin overdosed. Kevin, of Forge Bank, later died in hospital.

Furber, himself a heroin user with a prior conviction for possession, bought the drug in bulk from Glouces-ter for his own use.

He then supplied it to people he knew in the Ledbury area.

Mr Walters said Furber's parents were devastated at the way their son's life was going.

"He's a very intelligent young man, he's not your normal average drug user," he said.

"It's not a commercial deal that this man was involved in, he would supply friends, fellow users, very small amounts."

Mr Walters said Furber had shown considerable remorse following Mr Bayliss' death and had been immediately frank with police.

Since he was remanded in custody three months ago, he had given up heroin.

Sentencing Furber, Judge Andrew Geddes said the courts looked very seriously at cases of heroin dealing. He sentenced him to four years for each offence, to run concurrently.

Commenting on the case, Inspector Dave Williams, of Herefordshire CID, said: "We welcome this conviction and sentence. We believe it sends a strong message to those who supply drugs and are directly responsible for causing so much harm and misery to so many.

"Along with our partner agencies, we are working tirelessly to fight a problem that erodes all society. We ask the public for their continued support in this work."

The mayor of Ledbury, Coun Keith Francis, a member of the Ledbury Area Drugs Forum, said: "Drug dealing is a very serious issue and needs to be dealt with firmly.

"The Forum is working hard, through drugs education, to help ensure that this situation does not happen again.

"There are hidden dangers in taking drugs and ultimately, the answer is do not take them.

"I feel for any family whose children are caught up in drugs. It is devastating for them."