A heroin dealer’s plea to be spared jail was rejected by a judge.

Arshad Parvaiz, 42, of Exchange Street, Accrington, claimed he is a ‘changed man’ but was handed a 16-month jail sentence for breaching a suspended sentence order.

It comes after he was convicted of possession of a class A drug and possession with intent to supply at Burnley Crown Court.

The court heard that police had arrested Parvaiz on Wesley Street, Church, after he was found in possession of two wraps of heroin, cash and a mobile phone with text messages indicating dealing.

The dad was originally given a suspended sentence in October 2014 after he pleaded guilty to being involved in nearly 2,000 street deals totalling nearly £20,000 and stealing a mobile phone worth £220 from the CEX shop in Accrington to pay off ‘drug debts’.

The court was told that Parvais had 57 offences dating back to 1996 for possession and possession with intent to supply drugs.

Parvais was permitted to speak in his own mitigation from the witness box at court by Judge Jonathan Gibson.

He said: “I have messed up, I was still using and I was with the wrong crowd.

“This is the third time I have been before you and it is my own fault and I am sorry.”

Parvais said that the time he had spent on remand had ‘opened his eyes’, adding that he wanted a chance to ‘prove himself’.

He said: “The nine days I have spent on remand have really opened my eyes.

“I have been working with Inspire and I have been trying to get a job. I have got my daughter and my wife who have said they will give me another chance.

“I just want a chance to prove myself, to prove that I have come through this and that I am a changed man.”

Sentencing, Judge Gibson praised Parvais’ honesty but said that a prison sentence was needed.

He said: “You breached an order with the possession of class A drugs with intent to supply them. Your honesty is commendable, you were still using drugs and in bad company.

“While on remand you seem to have worked hard to address your problems. However, given your history it seems likely to me that without a prison sentence we will be back in the same situation.”