A FOOTBALL fan has walked from court with a bill of more than £200 after he was found in possession of just half a gram of cocaine.

Ryan Williams, 26, of Loyalty Street, Chippenham, appeared before the bench in Swindon on Wednesday morning where he pleaded guilty to being in possession of the class A substance on Saturday, August 6.

The magistrates heard from crown prosecutor Nick Barr that police had been carrying out patrols ahead of the Swindon Town v Coventry football match. Going into the Merlin pub they spotted the defendant stuff something down the back of his trousers.

His defence Terence McCarthy told the court that his client had bought the small amount of the drug for personal use form a man he didn’t know.

Sentencing him, chairman of the bench Jonathan Chappell fined him £160 and ordered he pay £85 Crown Prosecution Service costs and a £30 victim surcharge.