TODAY'S crime files sees us examine the case of a drug dealer clearly unwilling to change his ways – being jailed twice in the space of three years as a result.

Four years ago Neil Hyatt was jailed after he was found guilty of selling cocaine and heroin in Worcester.

He was released from prison but returned to his old ways, continuing to sell drugs from an address in the city before he was again jailed in June last year.

Hyatt was originally arrested by police after trying to escape through a window wearing only his underwear and dressing gown, as officers smashed their way into the flat in Wyld's Lane.

In 2016, when Hyatt was sentenced, the court heard how police officers in protective gear battered their way into the flat as one of the suspects tried but failed to dispose of the drugs by throwing them out of a first floor window.

Siobhan Collins, prosecuting, said the 32-year-old threw plastic bags containing heroin and cocaine out of the window and on to the gutter of the building next door during the raid, which took place in November 2015.

They were found to contain a total of just under 30g of heroin and cocaine worth a minimum of £1,300 at street value.

Police also found £545 in cash and equipment including scales as well as a phone which was ringing constantly as messages came in from addicts looking for supplies.

"The sole purpose of the flat was to prepare drugs for supply," Miss Collins said. "The tenant said his home had been annexed for the purpose of selling drugs and he was unhappy about it."

Hyatt, of Poulson Drive, Bootle, Merseyside, pleaded guilty to two charges of possessing class A drugs with intent to supply.

After pleading guilty, he was given five years and eight months in prison, though he would soon end up back in jail after continuing to deal following his release.

Having been released from prison, Hyatt was again convicted in 2019 after setting up shop in Diglis.

Hyatt, who was 35 at the time of his most recent sentence, along with co-conspirator Nicholas Grainger, received an immediate jail sentence.

Judge Jim Tindal jailed Hyatt for five-and-a-half years and Grainger for three years.

Elaine Pritchard and Ben Kelly both received suspended prison sentences for their role in the conspiracy.

On the day they were arrested, police observed drug users near the canal towpath and Grainger was seen to make an exchange. Hyatt, Pritchard and Kelly were arrested at an address in Princes Drive, Diglis, described as a 'cuckooing' address, where an addict's home is used to sell drugs.

A dining room table had been used to prepare the drugs. Officers seized wraps of heroin and crack cocaine in cling-film and two mobile phones. Hyatt was found with around £1,000 in tightly rolled notes in cling film and a further £622 in notes and coins.