by Julia Roberts

A drug addict sobbed as a court heard he killed his best friend by injecting him with heroin.

Nicholas Pepper gave the fatal dose to John Gratton at his home in Margate in October last year.

The two men, who had been friends since school, first smoked some of the drug.

Mr Gratton, who was 26, then injected it into the back of his hand. But when he was unable to administer another dose, he repeatedly asked Pepper, who had also injected, to help.

Maidstone Crown Court heard Mr Gratton, who had a history of alcohol, drug and mental health problems, quickly reacted badly to the heroin.

Pepper gave him clean clothes after he wet himself and then lay him on the sofa, covering him with a blanket.

Maidstone Crown Court heard, however, that when Pepper returned from having a shower Mr Gratton was no longer snoring and had stopped breathing.

Pepper, also 26, immediately dialled 999 and was described as being in a state of distress by paramedics. He told police at the scene: "It's my fault. It was my suggestion to get the s***."

Prosecutor Ian Acheson told the court that a post-mortem revealed the concentration of morphine, the breakdown product of heroin, in Mr Gratton's body was low, but one that could prove fatal when combined with alcohol.

Pepper, of Royal Close, Broadstairs, admitted manslaughter and was jailed for three years. The court heard that had it not been for his confession a prosecution would have been "nigh on impossible".

Passing sentence Judge Jeremy Carey said although there was a "wealth" of mitigation, custody was inevitable.

"You must take responsibility and you must go to prison," he told the father-of-one.

"Not because any immediate useful purpose is served as far as you are concerned, although you are deserving of some punishment, but because a life has been lost and because the message must go out and go out clearly that those who commit this kind of offence will be dealt with severely."

Judge Carey added that he had "not the slightest doubt" that Pepper was full of remorse.

The unemployed labourer had denied a second charge of administering a poison or noxious substance. This was accepted by the prosecution and ordered to be left on file.