A DRUG dealer who was caught with a stash of heroin after he was stabbed has pleaded guilty part-way through this trial.

Leslie Prince, of Luther Street, Oxford, had denied one count of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.

His trial at Oxford Crown Court came to an abrupt end yesterday when the 31-year-old had a change of heart and admitted the offence.

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After the last-minute turnaround presiding Judge Peter Ross sent the jury panel home and said he would adjourn sentencing while a pre-sentence report is prepared by the National Probation Service.

During the trial prosecutors said that Prince was attacked by a gang of dealers in Blackbird Leys on the night of April 12, 2017.

After the assault, in which he received five stab wounds, he was taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital.

While there police seized a black puffer jacket which was found to have a pack of Sterling cigarettes which contained 36 'tiny rocks'.

These rocks were revealed to be 35 wraps of heroin and one wrap which could not be conclusively identified.

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Before adjourning the case Judge Ross said: "Why you didn't plead guilty earlier is beyond me.

"The evidence against you was completely overwhelming."

Appealing for leniency his defence barrister Gordana Turudija-Austin said that her client had been drug-free for some time and was committed to tackling his offending.

The case was adjourned and he will be sentenced at the same court on September 9. He was released on bail.