DRUG dealers threatened to burn a man’s house down if he didn’t sell heroin and crack cocaine, a court heard.

Father-of-two Dexter Thompson developed a heroin addiction and had fallen into debt with his dealers, a judge was told.

Thompson – who has been jailed for drug possession charges – was living in fear after dealers’ threats, said Lucy Ffrench, defending.

Dealers told him he must work selling drugs to repay his debt – at a rate of £70 a day – or his house would be burned down.

She said at Oxford Crown Court on Friday: “Being arrested was a genuine relief for the defendant.

“He had reneged on a previous debt and the dealers had found out where he lived.”

Thompson, of Geoffrey Barbour Road, Abingdon, admitted two counts of possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply. He was arrested after police searched a house in Dodson Court, Abingdon, which they believed to be unoccupied, on July 28.

But after forcing entry they discovered Thompson inside with drugs in a safe under his bed.

In two Kinder Egg boxes they found 4.86g of crack cocaine worth £340, 3.8g of heroin worth £260 and a further 103mg of heroin.

The 30-year-old told police he had been working as a “runner” for drug dealers for around three months.

She added his wife, a businesswoman who is about to open a hair salon, knew nothing about his drug dealing.

Mrs Ffrench said after he was arrested the couple had settled the drug debt together by handing over £1,900 from the sale of a car.

Yet Judge Patrick Eccles said despite the mitigating circumstances he could not avoid a prison sentence.

Thompson had a “long history” of crime and stealing to fund his addiction said Judge Eccles, who sentenced him to two years for each count, to run at the same time.

Judge Eccles said: “It is one thing to damage your own health by taking Class A drugs. But it is quite another thing to become involved in supplying Class A drugs to others and damage their health.

“It is a fact known to the court that it is people like you who are available to be exploited by drug dealers to use as runners.

“Mainly because they do not want to put themselves in the firing line, so this becomes a key part of the drug business.

“And you open yourself up to that exploitation by continuing to take Class A drugs.”