A MAN who allowed a child to take drugs and then did nothing to help him when he fell unconscious has been jailed by a crown court judge.

Appearing at the Isle of Wight Crown Court on Friday, Reece Chilcott, of Sherborne Street, Bembridge, admitted to assault by failing to prevent harm, the theft of £1,500 and being in possession of class B and C drugs.

At a previous hearing, he also admitted assaulting two police officers.

Simon Foster, prosecuting, said Chilcott did nothing to stop the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, taking the pills, failed to call for an ambulance when he fell unconscious, denied having knowledge of the events and ran away when police arrived at the scene.

Mr Foster said it amounted to deliberate disregard for the welfare of the victim and stated Chilcott was culpable for the incident.

The pair had been at a house in Sandown and Chilcott, 27, was under the influence of drugs at the time, a court heard.

Mr Foster said the boy was helicoptered to Southampton General Hospital and placed in a coma for 24 hours.

A witness who arrived at the property put the victim in the recovery position and called the ambulance.

Mr Foster said: "When paramedics arrived, Chilcott denied being with the victim and did nothing to assist in the recovery. He then ran away when police attended the scene and had to be detained."

Over the same weekend, Chilcott broke into a Range Rover and stole £1,500 in cash, as well as toiletries and a wallet, the court heard.

The vehicle belonged to Matthew Price, of Price's Garage, in Newport.

On October 3, Chilcott was caught in possession of the class B drug, zopiclone, and the class C drug, diahydrocodeine.

Oscar Vincent, representing Chilcott, told the court the defendant had had a chaotic childhood.

Mr Vincent said: "He was placed into care at an early age and was shifted frequently. He was taught no real morals and had hardly any education."

The court heard Chilcott had suffered from mental health problems, primarily PTSD from his childhood, and this was likely to have been exacerbated due to the death of both his parents.

He had been making positive steps through genuine employment, was in a very positive relationship and had renewed contact with his father before he had died.

Speaking of the victim, Mr Vincent said his family had described him as 'determined' and headstrong.

He said: "It's clear the victim was determined to stay with Chilcott and determined to take the drugs."

Chilcott was under the influence of drugs and by the time the victim had taken the pills, the defendant was in such a state he could not have stopped him, the court heard.

A report on the victim's health said there was no evidence of any ongoing harm and medical staff did not expect him to have any ongoing consequences.

Sentencing, Judge Price said Chilcott's lack of a response when the child had fallen unconscious had caused the victim unnecessary suffering.

He said: "You were addicted to drugs and were taking drugs that day. You allowed a child to share the pills you were taking and he became unconscious.

"Had he not been treated, he would have suffered very serious health problems. When the paramedics arrived, you refused to say what happened and when the police arrived, you ran away.

"You have a long history of dishonesty. I can not give you credit for being of good character, because you are not."

Chilcott was sentenced to 21 months in prison.