AN AMPUTEE who used cocaine as a painkiller after losing his leg in a car crash more than 20 years ago has been spared jail.

Harvinder Singh, of Berkshire Drive, Tilehurst, was caught with 125g of the Class A drug and denied that he was a dealer when questioned by Thames Valley Police.

Reading Crown Court heard how the 48-year-old was involved in a horrific collision in 1996 and suffered from incredible pain despite being prescribed prescription drugs.

Sarita Basra, prosecuting, explained how the amount exceeded the level normally associated with personal use.

Four mobile phones were seized by police, but there was no evidence to suggest Singh was dealing cocaine.

He was handed a sentence of six months, suspended for two years, while an order was made for the destruction of the drugs.

Claire Evans, defending, said: "This is a man with a very low risk of reoffending and you will begin to see why it is in an extraordinary set of circumstances.

"This is a man who has been taking cocaine as a painkiller for more than 20 years since his leg was ripped off in a car accident.

"He was unfortunate to suffer from phantom limb and his prosthetic leg has troubled him from several years.

"He was released from rehabilitation and a friend gave him a line of cocaine and it was the first time he had experienced no pain in a very long time."

Although the cocaine proved to be an effective pain reliever, the court was told Singh's behaviour became erratic.

He managed to walk through a plate glass window and was forced to have surgery to remove his right bicep.

Judge Simon Oliver, sentencing, added: "This was not a small amount of cocaine in any shape or form.

"This sentence acknowledges the seriousness of the quantity, while taking your early guilty plea into consideration."

Ms Evans went on to explain how Singh had got his life back on track after engaging with IRiS Reading.