Homeless Mansfield man jailed after ‘weird’ behaviour on zombie drug in front of kids

Officers thought Ryan Ward was under the influence of drink or drugs and he presented them with a small bag of mamba on February 2, said prosecutor Ruth Stirland.

The offence put him in breach of a four-week prison sentence suspended for 12 months on January 30 for possession of class B drugs and theft.

The court heard he was jailed in September last year and released after serving half the sentence.

Vicky Clarson, mitigating, said he deserved credit for his early guilty plea and full cooperation with the police.

"It's a difficult situation for him," she said.

"He was a heroin addict but has reduced that to class B drugs. He tells me he is in touch with drug workers.”

She said the father-of-two now lives on the streets, and sometimes stays with his brother, but doesn’t receive benefits.

“I would ask you to consider not activating the suspended sentence and then see if he can stay out of trouble and sort his finances out and find some permanent accommodation,” said Ms Clarson.

Ward, aged 38, care of Kitchener Drive, Mansfield, admitted possession of a class B drug when he appeared at Mansfield Magistrates Court, on Tuesday.

The court was briefly cleared when Ward became angry after magistrates activated the four-week prison sentence and added an extra two weeks for the new offences.

He was ordered to pay a £154 surcharge and £85 costs.