A SPORTS coach dressed in drag for a night out with friends was caught dealing M-Cat when he dropped his handbag.
Steven Ashton, 24, had gone into town with his friends dressed in a pink and grey floral dress with skintight black leggings, carrying a pale pink handbag.
He dropped his handbag outside Revolution bar in Lowgate and police watched as nine bags of M-Cat spilled out on the pavement.
Stephen Robinson, defending, said: "He had a humiliating arrest as he was wearing fancy dress and was strip-searched."
Hull Crown Court heard police officers were standing across the road when they watched Ashton drop his handbag as he stood outside the bar in Hull city centre.
Nine separate bags of M-Cat, weighing 6.5 grams, fell out of his bag onto the ground and police arrested him.
His barrister Stephen Robinson said: "This has served as a lesson to him and his friends not to take drugs and he has stopped that.
"This defendant has learnt the hard way how a dalliance with drugs is.
"He will now have a conviction upon his record and it is one that will affect his future. He is interested in sport and coaching and was considering becoming a sports teacher in the future and this is very unlikely now.
"He was given money for drinks by his friends to look after the drugs."
The court heard Ashton and his friends had bought a large amount of M-Cat to use as a recreational drug at the weekend.
Ashton pleaded guilty to possessing M-Cat with intent to supply on October 27 last year.
Probation officer Rob Armstrong told the court: "He clearly regrets having committed this offence and describes his behaviour as stupid and a very foolish thing to do.
"He says he has experimented with ecstasy in the past and had used M-Cat for two years. He has not used drugs at all since October last year."
Recorder Margia Mostafa said: "It is a great shame you engaged in this type of behaviour at all because, now, you are commonly known as a drug dealer and you accept you were dealing drugs.
"You had nine bags of M-Cat and were arrested. You told them you worked in a call centre and were just doing this to get a bit of money.
"In interview you said you and your friends had chipped in to pay for it and you kept it in this fancy dress handbag and were bought drinks during the evening for holding on to the drugs and the Crown accept that basis of plea.
"I have read all your references and you have lost your good character."
Ashton has been sentenced to a 12-month community order and 100 hours of unpaid work.
Ashton was ordered to pay £1,200 court costs and a £60 victims' surcharge.
