An Essex man who supplied drugs to undercover police officers in Clacton was a victim of modern slavery, a court has heard.

Jailing 33-year-old Kenneth Blinkho for 27 months, Recorder Antony Dunne accepted he had become involved in the supply of heroin and cocaine after being threatened.

Blinkho, of Elm Road, Clacton-on-Sea, admitted supplying heroin on October 8, 2019, and supplying cocaine and heroin on October 23.

Ipswich Crown Court heard he had supplied the drugs to undercover police officers after they contacted a drug line.

Barry Gilbert, for Blinkho, said his client had been in custody for 16 months and asked the court to pass a sentence which would allow his immediate release.

He said it was accepted that his client was a victim of modern slavery.

He said Blinkho was a long term drug user and was staying in his sister’s flat when he was “cuckooed”, which is a term used to describe drug dealers taking over the home of a vulnerable person.