But the former rough sleeper thanked magistrates when they let him off with a £40 fine
A FORMER rough sleeper thanked Cardiff Magistrates’ Court for “giving him a chance” after being caught with heroin and spice.
Police officers patrolling St Mary Street in the city centre spotted 24-year-old Zak Frassinelli outside Tesco and asked whether he was carrying any drugs, the prosecutor told the court.
When Frassinelli replied that he did, officers looked in his pockets to find a “brown powder” which was revealed to be 0.01 grams of heroin and a small quantity of spice, the court heard.
In his defence, Huw Jones stressed that Frassinelli had experienced several difficult years of homelessness from the age of 16.
During this time, Frassinelli had two previous convictions: one in 2018 for possessing cannabis, and another three years prior for the possession of cannabis and cocaine.
Mr Frassinelli pleaded guilty to possession of the class A drug when he appeared before city magistrates on Thursday.
“He has been sleeping rough and it is almost inevitable that people in these circumstances come into contact with class A drugs,” Mr Jones said.
He also added that Frassinelli’s crimes were “not even that bad,” as 0.1 grams of heroin is worth roughly £10 in street value.
Since his previous convictions, Frassinelli has moved into permanent residence in Tongwynlais and was receiving regular benefits. He is also on a course of methadone to get him off drugs, he added.
In response to this, the chair of the Magistrates bench, Nigel Buckland, fined Frassinelli £40 and ordered him to pay a total of £159, including costs.
Referring to his efforts to keep off drugs, Mr Buckland told him: “Keep up the good work. I know it’s not easy, but it will be worth it in the long run.”
